Call of the Jungle
by Corration
Summary: Following the events of "Instincts of the Jungle", a decision is made to give up the luxury life in Rio to move back to the jungle. Blu is unsure with this transaction, but it is his daughter that he becomes worried about, forgetting about the dangers of the jungle.
1. Prologue

Joy came quick, only to wither away and become sorrow. Blood and fear swept the area. Only one bird stood, alive, witnessing the events. The blue bird was a Spix's Macaw by the name of Blu. This amber-colored eyed macaw had witness the events. He had been on a branch, looking out into the jungle. Moments ago, the jungle was vast and green. Birds happily flew about their business and grounded birds played with what the Earth had to offer.

In the distant, there was a small group of birds. All of them were like him; Spix's Macaws. In fact, it was his family. There was his blue-eyed, light blue feathered mate Jewel. With her were his three kids: Joseph, Xavier, and Flor. Joseph was the first to hatch out of the three. He was a dark blue feathered chick with amber eyes, just like his father Blu. Xavier was Blu's second son that had ocean blue feathers and yellowish eyes. And, of course, there was his daughter Flor with sky blue feathers and light blue eyes, almost like her mother Jewel. It appeared that Jewel was about to teach them about flying. Blu smiled as he watched his beautiful mate be the teacher of aerial dynamics for these kids.

However, happiness never lasts…

An explosion triggered in the jungle. Every creature stopped to try to figure out what had happened, but before they could, another one happened, and then another and then another after that and so on. Birds flew away from the jungle and mammals scurried either under the ground or tried to escape from the fiery parts of the jungle. The only animals that remained were only his family.

"Jewel! Get out of here!"

Within the chaos of panic, she could not hear him. All she did was tried to protect her chicks the best she could, but the fire was spreading. Soon, it would reach them. He watched as Jewel gathered the kids and entered back into the den of the tree. He shook his head in panic.

"Jewel! Not there! I'm…I'm coming!"

He opened his wings and prepared to take off when suddenly, he was pinned down. His head bonked against the branch of the high tree where he stood. It hurt a little, but he still remained conscious. He felt talons digging into him, as if they were trying to pierce through him.

"Wh-Who i-is th-this?!"

"Now, you will suffer like me," came a deep voice.

Blu could not turn his head to see who was pinning him down. All he could see was in front of him. Soon, the fire reached the den where his family hid. It ate the leaves first, and then it attacked the branches, and finally, it burned the trunk. All Blu heard now was the squawks and chirps of agony, and then, it became nothing.

"How does it feel, Blu?" asked the voice. "Watching the birds in your life you care about…die?"

Blu did not respond. All he could was just watch in horror as the ones he loved died.

Blu woke up in sweat. He quickly sat up and breathed heavily, looking around. Everything looked normal. Jewel was sleeping at his side, the almost featherless chicks were sleeping in the nest, and the den was not being consumed by water. To make sure, he got to his feet and walked outside. The sun had not risen yet. He looked around and saw the peaceful jungle. A few of the early morning birds were chirping, meaning sunrise was soon. Blu sighed and sat on the branch, waiting for the sun to rise.

"It was just…another nightmare."

He regained his breathing. He then tried to recollect the dream and tried to fit it with the rest. It was not just this nightmare, but he had a couple more this past week. It was Friday now. The first nightmare happened Sunday, then another on Tuesday, and the other on Wednesday. They were the same theme: Blu feeling depressed and a mysterious bird getting his or her revenge. Blu did not know who that bird was. He did not agitate many birds, except for one. Still, it was so farfetched to believe that it was this bird.

"Blu?"

Blu turned his head towards the den to see Jewel. He smiled.

"You're not usually an early bird, Dear."

Jewel said nothing and walked to Blu's side. She sat down next to him.

"Are you watching the sun rise?" she asked.

"Something like that."

Jewel faced her mate.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

Blu sighed.

"Yeah… It's the same basically. I suffer, and someone gets their revenge."

Jewel rested her head on Blu's shoulder. She breathed peacefully.

"Then what should we do? Blu, I'm worried about these dreams you're having. They worry me."

"They are just dreams."

"But you become so paranoid. Like when you had a dream Tuesday night, you wouldn't let me leave the den for anything the next morning until I resorted to drastic measures. The next morning after that, when Rafael and Eva visited, you were figuring out if someone followed them, trying to get to us. Later that day, you began to set traps up for snakes."

Blu rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, right. I did all that, didn't I?"

Jewel got her head of his shoulder and stared into his amber eyes.

"Blu, I'm worried about you. It seems that you are still scared about the jungle."

"But we've been through a lot. With what happened with those poachers and the tragedy with Flor and Xavier, it makes you wonder what other dangers could come our way."

"Yes, I know, but what should we do? We can't live in the past forever."

Blu slowly turned his head to look at his kids.

"No, but we can secure a safe future for our kids."

Jewel looked towards her three precious chicks and smiled. She soon dropped the smile, realizing what Blu said, and looked at him. He did not look at her. All he did was look at his chicks.

"Blu?"

Blu faced Jewel. His smooth look surprised her.

"What do you say, Jewel?"

Jewel faintly blushed.

"A-about what?"

"The chicks. I want a safe place to raise the chicks until they are old enough to come back to the jungle. The only safe place is the sanctuary, so..."

Jewel sighed.

"I know it has been hard, but we both agreed to live in the jungle, no matter what."

"But Dear, think about the kids. I mean if you were living in a violent area and raising your kids, but you had the choice to move out to a safer place, wouldn't you do it?"

"… But it's easy to put it that way. I…I mean…"

Jewel sighed, thinking about what Blu said. He was right. The jungle was not safe to raise kids. As a chick, her mother would have to protect her from snakes and birds of prey, because birds were the most vulnerable as chick. Jewel closed her eyes for a short pause and opened them.

"… Okay."

Her answer surprised Blu. He thought she would at least state her point for five more minutes. Jewel looked at him with a confused expression.

"What?" Jewel asked in irritancy.

"N-Nothing. I just…uh…thought it would be harder to convince you."

Jewel shook her head.

"I'm not convinced that we should abandon the jungle for the sanctuary, but for our chicks, I want a safe environment to raise them up, for now."

Blu smiled.

"So…you want to move today later on?"

"Yeah…I guess. We're just carrying our chicks over there."

There was a pause of silence before Jewel spoke again.

"I don't want anything permanent. I want to come back when our kids are ready to fly."

Blu nodded.

"Alright. That's like in fifteen years, right?"

Jewel half-closed her eyes.

"It takes about a month," she retorted. "Maybe a month and a half."

"A month and a half? Isn't that too short? Besides, they won't be fully grown."

"But birds become harder targets for predators when they know how to fly. Flying is a bird's best defense."

"But a good defense starts with a fence, which is what humans have, and…and…"

He saw the agitation in Jewel's eyes. He had seen that look before. She had gave him that look shortly after they met, when she tackled him off the fake branch. He knew he could not win. He sighed.

"Fine. A month and a half."


	2. Need to Go Back

**I said two weeks I would post chapter 2, but I found it very hard to write without opinions or views, or actually seeing the chapter. On Word, I don't really see the whole chapter until I post it up here, and then I will update it with corrections if necessary. I usually don't have this problem, but I'm still busy in the summer. So, basically, two weeks of waiting turned into four days of waiting for those interested in my story, and I thank you.**

* * *

In the bird community, tracking birds proved to be difficult. Even in civilizations where technology was prominent, trying to find a missing person was not instant. Birds heavily relied on what was heard and trusted the bird that told them about what he or she saw or heard. It was just like the game telephone, where a message was relayed from one person to the next; except for birds, it was not a game. Everything tweeted was taken to be true.

Word had spread about Jewel and Blu moving with their chicks to Rio. Most birds neither knew where they went or why, but they were not too alarmed of the situation. Whoever relayed the message first seemed calm about since there was no urgency in the message. The message itself took about two weeks to spread itself among the jungles near Rio.

Soon, a few days passed, and then a week, and then a month. No new news of Blu and Jewel rose ever since the first tweet. Yet, no one even bothered searching for them. Even their friends did not call for a search. To them, if they were in Rio and nowhere to be seen, there was only one place that Blu and Jewel had to be: the bird sanctuary.

His friends were right… Well, Rafael was right and just told the other birds. For the past month, Blu and Jewel had raised their chicks up in the breeding cage, where Blu and Jewel first meet. They had transformed to featherless babies to feathery, walking chicks. The chicks' looks were just the same as their looks in Blu's nightmare, which Blu thought to be both good and bad. Near the end of the second week, the chicks were no able to walk around safely in the sanctuary. They would either accompany Blu and Jewel out of the breeding bird cage or Linda would take them about the sanctuary, which irritated Jewel. So to ease tension between Linda and Jewel about Linda taking the chicks, Linda would also take Jewel along with the ride. When Jewel and the chicks were only with Linda, Blu would either be sleeping, studying through books or the internet, or spending his time with Tulio to help him if possible. Despite being weird, Blu discovered Tulio to be a smart guy.

By sometime in the third week, the chicks started to speak. First, it was Joseph, and then Flor, and then Xavier. Joseph's first words were 'mama and papa', Flor's first words were 'I love you' and Xavier's first words were 'crap, not again'. That one was thanks to the janitor who would clean the cage. It was not his fault for saying that, unaware of the chicks present. The poor man sometimes lost control in his arms and would drop the thing he held and then would say it. This still irritated Jewel, and she blamed the man.

After realizing they can speak, Blu introduced them to the world of media. He would take the kids to watch an hour of television a day on those baby programs like on Nick Jr. or PBS kids. This would be fine, but Blu would not watch television with the kids. Unfortunately for him, Xavier seemed to have figured out how to change channels on the third day of watching television. Once Blu left, the kids would watch Spongebob, Batman, the Simpsons, and Family Guy. It was not until the following Monday, a full week of the kids watching television, that something was up. It was that Monday that Joseph uttered the word 'shit' when he got frustrated in assembling a puzzle. It was also that same day when Jewel acted like if she had a heart attack.

Almost two months had passed. The kids were now accustomed to human society. Food was prepared and never scavenged in the wild for. The nights were peaceful with soothing music. Electricity and electronics were second-to-none for the survival of the chicks. Jewel feared this. Today was June 27th. What was significant about the day was that it was the day Jewel decided that they should plan on returning to the jungle. Jewel entered the kids' lounge that was in the bird sanctuary. Tulio designated this room a place where researchers and tourists who were interested in touring the bird sanctuary could leave their kids or teens. It was a green-colored room with a few shelves of toys and games, a gaming entertainment system, and a desktop computer that was mostly emptied of children for almost a whole month. Flor and Joseph were watching a movie called "The Lion King" on the television screen, and Xavier was playing a plat-forming game on the computer. Jewel flew in and landed in front of the television, not really blocking it from her chicks.

"My precious chicks, I think its time."

Joseph was the only one who looked down at his mother.

"Time? Time for what, Mama?"

"Time to go."

Joseph had not replied. As Jewel was answering, he lifted his head up to continue watching the movie. Jewel looked over at Flor and Xavier who were also not listening to her. Jewel's content expression dropped.

"Um…kids?"

The kids did not reply. Annoyed, she flew over to the LCD television and pressed the power button to turn it off. She then flew over to the desk where the computer was stationed on. She landed and walked under the desk, unaware to Xavier who was on the top of the desk tapping the keys on the keyboard. She found the power strip and turned it off. The monitor went black, and soon, she heard Xavier's voice.

"Nooooooooo. I was so close. Who-who did this? Joseph, it was you, wasn't it?"

Joseph faced Xavier.

"I'm over here. Didn't you see Mama?"

Xavier looked down over the desk. He noticed a bird coming out from underneath the desk, staring at him. It was his mother.

"Mama, why did you turn the game off? I was about to save the princess."

"You weren't listening to me."

"You were talking?"

Jewel narrowed her eyes. Xavier flinched at the sight of it.

"Go to the couch."

"But Mama-"

"I said go. I need to talk to you all of you now."

Xavier sighed and walked down the bird ladder Linda had built so they can get on the desk. He walked across the floor and climbed up another ladder used to get on the green, comfy couch. He sat next to Joseph. Flor, who was nest to Joseph, faced Jewel.

"Mama, are we in trouble?"

"No. It just annoys me that my own chicks don't listen to me."

"But Mama," started Joseph, "we do listen. Right, Xavier?"

Xavier had closed his eyes, as if he was resting. Joseph tapped his brother's wing to wake him up. Xavier slowly opened his eyes and faced Xavier.

"What? Were you saying something?"

Joseph looked back at his mother.

"Me and Flor listen."

Jewel shook her head.

"Well, I need all of you to listen, especially to what I have to say."

"Is it a surprise?" wondered Flor.

"I wouldn't call it a surprise."

"Not a surprise," wondered Joseph. "What can it be then?"

"Maybe Mama's going to tell us to meet Papa, and he will tell us the surprise," stated Xavier.

Joseph shook his head.

"I hope not. Most of the surprises Papa gives us hurt my head."

"Don't worry, Joseph," said Jewel, remembering Blu's educational surprises. "The surprise isn't your father's...um...teachings. Now...what is something a bird needs to know?"

The three chicks looked at each other, thinking intensely. They looked back at Jewel. Joseph spoke first.

"How to get food?"

Jewel thought about it.

"Well…that's important. But how would you find food?"

"Go to the kitchen and open the fridge. All the food is there."

Jewel shook her head.

"What if you want it fresh?"

"Then you call Dole and have them send it to you," answered Xavier.

Jewel sighed and scratched her head, thinking. She dropped her wing when she thought of another example.

"Okay. Let's think of something else? How do birds move around?"

"I know this one," said Xavier. "They just hop into the car."

"No," answered Jewel.

"… Then a bus."

Jewel sighed.

"This is what I was afraid of."

"Why are you upset, Mama?" asked Joseph. "That's what we usually do. All the food is in the fridge, and Tulio or Linda puts us in the car to go somewhere. Don't other birds do that?"

"… Unless Mama is talking about the birds that we see on T.V. and what they do," said Flor.

"Yeah, right," said Xavier. "Besides, those birds are cartoons. We are real birds. This is what real birds do. They just sit in the couch and watch TV."

Jewel faced Flor.

"Meja, what do those birds do in the TV?"

"They live in the jungle."

Jewel smiled.

"Yes. That's it. They live in the jungle."

"But that's make-believe, Mama," pointed out Xavier.

"It's real. It's just that we've been here to raise you up in here that you think this is how birds live, but it is time to go back."

"Go back?" wondered Joseph. "Go back where?"

"To the jungle."

"The jungle?" Xavier thought aloud. "Is there anything out there to plug a computer?"

Jewel shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "It's just us and nature."

"Then where I am supposed to play games?"

"We don't need electri-electra…those things."

"Electronics?" wondered Flor.

"Yes," said Jewel. "We don't need electronics. We can have fun playing in the creek…or playing hide-and-go-seek."

"You mean like those poor, dirty kids we see playing in the street while going to the bookstore? Some of them don't look that happy."

"Xavier!" snapped Jewel. "What did I tell you about calling people dirty?"

Xavier thought about it.

"Make sure they smell bad first before you call them dirty."

"Xavier! I have had-"

As she was scolding at her son, Blu had entered the room, curious on what Jewel was talking about. He heard her voice coming from the room; he just did not know what they were talking about. He flew in and landed next to Jewel as she finished her sentence.

"-enough of your behavior and actions. Try to be more considerate of others. Though they have different lives, it gives you no right to make fun of them."

"What's going on?" asked Blu.

Jewel decided to let her annoyance with her son's behavior not control her on such a big day. She decided to drop it. She looked over at Blu and smiled.

"Today's the day."

"Today's the day? …Wait. You mean you want to move back today?"

"Not today, but sometime tomorrow."

"Why not another month?"

Jewel narrowed her eyes, making Blu flinch.

"It-it was just a suggestion."

"Blu, we need to go."

"But why? We're perfectly safe here. We have everything we need, plus some more."

Jewel shook her head.

"No, we don't. What about the outside? How about our friends? How about our life in the jungle? Remember we talked about it? You seemed confident living there. But those dreams…they changed your mind, Blu. Dreams are just dreams of your emotions. Nothing more."

"But have you ever wondered why you dream the things you dream of? Do they have any significance? They say every little thing in a dream means something."

"Who says that?"

"Well…um… Just them?"

"Just them?" questioned Jewel with her eyes half-closed. "You mean the internet."

Blu nervously tapped his wings.

"Well…um… I mean it doesn't seem to lie. Why would people lie about math, physics, health, and beliefs on the internet?"

Jewel wing-palmed her forehead.

"Blu, birds been living without the internet for some many years and relying on instincts. I think we can also survive without it."

"That's because birds don't know it," said Xavier. "If birds saw how wonderful it was, they would never want to let go of its magical powers."

As Xavier started to say magical powers, he used spirit fingers to describe the magic. Blu and Jewel looked from their son to each other with confused looks. Blu looked back at Xavier and shook his head.

"Have you've been watching "Bring It On"?"

"N-n…no," Xavier answered innocently.

Blu looked back at his mate.

"Probably some time away from electronics would be nice."

Xavier half-closed his eyes. Jewel shook her head.

"Not some time, Blu. I want it all the time."

"But Jewel, I think-"

His mate's blue eyes narrowed.

"No. I'm tired of debating this. My decision is final. We have to live in the jungle. That's our true way of life."

Blu rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but...uh..."

Jewel's death glare towards Blu became more intense. Blu knew he could not win. He sighed.

"Fine. We'll leave tomorrow."


	3. What's a True Haven?

Why does she want to go back? Doesn't she remember? That eagle was going to kill us. If it wasn't for Flor and Xavier, we would be dead. By going back, we might end up joining them, leaving our chicks. I don't want to go back. Never.

These thoughts were what Blu was thinking off as he sat on the Christ the Redeemer statue. This statue was the biggest statue in Rio, standing as high as a ten-story building. The grayish statue was crabbed, describing an image of Jesus Christ as he extended his arms out. Blu was just perched on Jesus's head, overseeing the lovely view of Rio and the jungle. He looked back and forth from them, as if he was deciding on which was better.

Human civilization would provide us with great protection. I think Jewel doesn't see that. Staying at the bird sanctuary would provide some of the best protection. Sure, we were kidnapped from it, but it's way better than living in the jungle… Still, she has a point. Last night, when we were talking more about it, she said that the kids were losing touch to the outside world. Joseph thought that birds get their food from refrigerators in the jungle, and Xavier thought birds traveled by car…and they all didn't believe that birds actually lived in the jungle. Probably Jewel's right about teaching them about the jungle, but I definitely don't want to live there.

The sun beamed down at Blu. With his wings touching the combination of concrete and soapstone, he felt his wing starting to get up. Even his behind could feel it. He slowly got to his feet and dusted his wings off.

Maybe I should find somewhere cooler to think.

He looked down and saw the active people of Rio and the tourists crowding the beaches and the streets. It was not the carnival week, or any big parties. It was just summertime in the afternoon. Blu opened his wings and took off.

How did he get out of the sanctuary without Jewel and the chicks following him? Having chicks that are still not ready to fly has its advantages. This morning, Blu said he needed to stretch his wings, and he figured a flight around Rio would be nice. However, it was not easy.

_Blu poked his head around the corner of a wall. He was in the hallway of the bird sanctuary, which lead to the bird treatment nursery. It was the same one where he entered through when he and Linda entered the bird sanctuary. It was also where he first encountered Nigel. He looked at where he was now and realized the door across from him, slightly to the right, was the door that leads into the bird treatment nursery room. He smiled. All he had to do was cross the white-tiled hallway and entered that door._

"_Blu?"_

_The voice behind him startled him. He had been looking at the door when he heard a familiar voice. He turned slowly to his left with a content look to find Jewel standing there. She looked at him curiously._

"_What is it?"_

"_You…startled me."_

_Jewel half-closed her eyes._

"_That's not it, is it? What are you doing, Blu?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_Blu?" she questioned again with irritancy in her voice._

"_Well," began Blu, "…um… Just going out for a bit."_

"_Out? Aren't we already going out? Didn't we agree today was the day?"_

"_I know…but the kids."_

"_Well, they're asleep now, but if I wake them up, we should be ready to leave after they have breakfast. Oh, that reminds me. You did make a note for Linda and Tulio that we'll be leaving and thanking them?"_

_Blu nodded._

"_Yes."_

"_So they know we're leaving today?"_

_Blu nervously formed a small smile and rubbed the back of his head._

"_I may have said in about two days…or a week."_

"_Blu!"_

"_I know, I know, but we have to give them notice, Honey. It's just rude to say that we are leaving today without any heads up."_

"_But…," Jewel sighed. "I guess you're right."_

_Blu smiled and placed a wing on her shoulder._

"_And you could take this opportunity to teach the kids about the jungle more."_

_Jewel nodded and smiled. She rested her head on Blu's wing that was on her right shoulder._

"_Okay."_

_She lifted her head up, and Blu took his wing off her shoulder._

"_So…where are you going?"_

"_Just…just outside."_

"_But aren't you going to help me teach the kids?"_

"_You know so much more about the jungle, Jewel. Besides, they seem to be bored when I teach them something."_

_Jewel stood still for a moment, thinking about it._

"_True. I know more about the jungle, and I don't want them to fall asleep when I teach them about it."_

_Blu half-closed his eyes._

"_You're just going outside for a quick fly?" asked Jewel._

"_Just to think."_

_Jewel sighed and looked at him with worried eyes._

"_Blu, we've talked about it several times."_

"_I know. I just need to clear my mind about it."_

"_But-"_

"_Go wake up the kids and teach them. I'll be back."_

_Before Jewel could reply, Blu walked through the door to the bird treatment nursery room and disappeared behind it. Jewel shook her head in disapproval and walked to the fake bird breeding jungle to go wake up the chicks._

Blu found the place he was looking for. He thought it would be gone after the marmoset raid, but it was still there, in a small alley near the fruit stand street. In the ally, there was a formation of crates and boxes one would think they belonged to a fruit vendor. However, the fruit vendor considered it as just a stack of unused boxes and crates that were not to be touched because they might belong to someone. In a sense, they were right. It belonged to the birds of Rio. This nice setup of crates and boxes blanketed with a candy-cane stripped tarp was one of the most popular places in Rio if you were a bird. It was open from the afternoon until two o'clock in the morning, entertaining birds with singing, dancing, and drinks. Blu landed near the entrance of the club and walked in.

Inside, the club was separated into three parts. There was the stage made of Popsicle sticks towards the back on the club. In front of it was the dance floor with strobe and colored lights hanging above it. A few inches away from the dance floor was a set of tables where birds could sit down to either relax, drink, or chat. Near the group of tables, off to the side, was a small bar, also made of Popsicle sticks. Not only did this bar provide alcoholic drinks; it also provided non-alcoholic drinks. Blu looked at the bar, which also had parrot-size stools to sit on, and walkd up to a stool. He sat down and faced the bartender

"May I help you, Sir?" asked a male Grey-necked Wood Rail.

Blu smiled at this brown-feathered body bird with bright grey feathers on its face and neck. At first, Blu was tempted to get an alcoholic drink, but Jewel would find out, so he decided to go dry.

"I just want a cup of water."

"Just need a refreshment from the heat," smiled the wood rail. "A cup of water coming right up."

The cups of non-alcoholic drinks were served in basically cut Dixie cups. Depending on the size of the bird, the bartender would cut the Dixie cup to fit that bird. For Blu's case, the wood rail sliced the Dixie cup horizontally in half and poured some water in it from an Arrowhead bottle. He gave it the small cup to Blu. Blu thanked the bartender and started to drink.

This water is refreshing, thought Blu. This is what I needed.

He stopped drinking and placed the cup down on the counter.

Still, it doesn't take away my thoughts.

He looked from his half-emptied cup and looked at the bartender. He had just finished serving a girly alcoholic drink to a radiant Blue-cheeked Amazon. She slyly took the small, glass cup and took a sip of her drink as if she was modeling. She took a break from drinking and let the cup rest in her wing in midair. She then slowly turned her head towards Blu and winked. It was then Blu realized he had been staring at her. He quickly looked forward and drank the remaining water in his cup.

Did I just stare at her for a while? What's wrong with me? I'm a mated macaw. Jewel is the only female I need. I should just finish the cup and go.

Blu did drink all the water and set the cup down. However, he felt that someone was behind and turned to his right to see the parrot was standing near him. She smiled. Blu nervously formed a smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Blu quickly answered back.

"Can I join you? It's kind of lonely drinking alone."

"Y-yeah…um…you can."

"You sound unsure."

"Well…I am. I'm a mated macaw."

"I don't see your mate here."

"Well, she's at the…den. She's taking care of the chicks. I was just flying around Rio...and I got thirsty, so I came in for a drink."

"Oh, I see."

Her voice seemed disappointed. Blu quickly reacted.

"But I guess drinking alone is pretty boring."

The parrot smiled and sat down on the stool next to Blu. She set her drink on the counter and extended her wing slightly out for a wing-shake.

"By the way, my name is Bela."

Blu smiled and reached for her wing. He shook it lightly.

"Blu."

They dropped their wings to their sides. Bela grabbed her cup and took another sip from her drink. She looked back at Blu.

"Is something on your mind?"

Blu smirked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well...you've been staring at your water for a while."

Blu looked from his cup and faced Bela.

"How long have you've lived in the jungle? ...You're from the jungle, right?"

Bela giggled.

"Of course I'm from the jungle. I've been there for as long as I've lived."

"Mmm... Tell me. How safe is it?"

Bela's purplish eyes widened in curiosity.

"Why are you asking how safe it is. You should know. Aren't you from the jungle? Because you do look like you belong there."

Blu shook his head.

"No. See, I was captive ever since I was a chick. Fifteen years go by, and I return here to be forced to mate and live in the jungle. It may sound a bit off when I say 'forced to mate'. Sure, my mate and I were complete strangers when we met, but we grew to understand each other and finally love each other. The same love I show my mate is the same love she shows me, and I definitely love my mate."

"I see. Well, if you were a captive bird, I'm guessing you grew up with humans."

"I learned off of them and became one, though I was still a bird."

"Like how?"

"Well, I know quantum physics."

"Quantum physics?"

"The physics that departs from traditional physics and take into consideration of atomic contributions to an object."

Bela gave him a confused look.

"Um... What?"

Blu sighed.

"Anyways, I've become so accustom to a human-civilized society that I'm out-of-touch with how 'normal' birds live in the jungle."

"... So, is it that you're scared of change?"

Blu's eyes dilated.

"I guess so... I mean, can I really from somewhere that I was once safe to the jungle?"

"... Are you calling the jungle unsafe?"

"Well, it's a long story. To be honest, I have been in the jungle, but I had a bad experience that almost cost my life, including my mate's life. Two of our friends died that day, along with the eagle who tried to eat us. I was still pretty content in living in the jungle, even though the whole experience was frightening. After our chicks hatched, those feelings of that experience haunted my dreams and scared me back to the only haven I knew."

"So that's why you're scared about returning to the jungle? For safety of your family?"

"The sanctuary is the safest place I know, for Jewel and the chicks."

Bela shook her head.

"That's considerate of you looking out for your family's safety, but Blu, the truth is that there is no such thing as the safest place. Everywhere you go, there is danger. Safe is just a word to make things comfortable."

"But at least I know that the bird sanctuary is safer than the jungle."

"That may be true, but I'm pretty sure the sanctuary had times where it isn't safe."

Blu was about to respond, but he dropped it. Bela was right. Those poachers got into the sanctuary and kidnapped him and Jewel. What if new poachers do the same with his chicks? How about if there is a fire? What if... What if...

"Blu, if we live in fear, we will never get to enjoy life. As you said, you were captured as a chick. That means you were born in the jungle. Isn't it time to go back to the jungle and start living?"

Blu thought for a moment. He took a gulp of his water and set the empty cup down

"If you put it that way, then I guess I could give it a try. Besides, it would make Jewel happy."

Bela smiled.

"Well, I should be taking off. Need to take care of some things before nightfall. See ya later."

Bela finished her drink and placed the cup on the counter. She got off the bar stool and walked towards the exit. Blu shot a quick glance at Bela as she exited the door.

"Maybe...maybe she's right," he whispered to himself.

Blu faced the bartender and smiled.

"Thanks for the drink."

Blu got off the stool and was about to head towards the exit when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Blu? Is that you?"

Blu turned around to see a chubby Red-crested Cardinal with brown eyes. He knew the bird to be his buddy Pedro. Blu smiled.

"It is you," smiled Pedro. "I said to myself 'I know that blue macaw from anywhere'."

"Very flattering. A little creepy, but flattering."

"So where has my buddy been? I heard you left the jungle after your chicks hatched. Rafael said you guys went to the bird sanctuary."

Blu nodded.

"He's right. We did go there."

"But why?"

"I thought it was best for the chicks, but now, Jewel feels it's ready to go back."

"That's great, Blu. Do you need help moving?"

"No thanks, but you can tell Rafael and Nico we'll be back in the jungle."

Pedro took notice of his voice.

"You don't seem too thrilled."

"I am. It's that...I'm tired. I need to go back to the sanctuary to rest."

Pedro nodded.

"Alright. I promise to spread the word."

Pedro stood straight up and placed his wing on his forehead to salute at Blu.

"I won't fail, Sir."

"Pedro, we're not in the military."

Pedro stood perfectly still, waiting for Blu.

"You're not going to move until I do it."

"No, Sir."

Blu sighed and saluted at Pedro. Blu then moved his wing out in front of him swiftly and dropped his wing. Pedro did the same.

"I'll see you later, Pedro."

"Alright. See ya."

Blu walked towards the exit and left the club. Pedro smiled and hurriedly ran to tell Nico and Rafael the good news.


	4. Not Normal

I was gone longer than I thought. I hope Jewel is not to mad.

Blu flew through an open, rectangular window in the bird sanctuary that allowed birds at least his size to enter and to leave the sanctuary. It was only open during the morning and afternoon, so if a bird wanted to come in after five o'clock, he had to wait until the next day when the interns opened it again. He entered the bird treatment nursery and landed on a stainless steel table. He looked up at the clock and saw that it was one in the afternoon. Blu rubbed the back off his neck.

"Well, I'm dead now," he whispered to himself.

He had left at eight in the morning, so he was outside for a good five hours. Talk about deep in thought. He sighed.

"Maybe she hasn't realized yet."

"Hey! Are you Blu?"

Blu looked to his left to see a white-spotted, brown feathered Lesser Nighthawk with brown eyes in a cage. On his right wing was a white bandage, meaning he was recovering from a broken wing.

"Y-Yes," Blu replied unsurely. "Why?"

"Like thirty minutes ago, a blue macaw came in and asked around to see if anyone has seen this Blu fellow. She seemed worried, but at the same time, upset."

Blu's face dropped.

"Uh-oh... Um...mind me for asking, but how upset was she?"

"Not too upset, but I didn't like the tone in her voice. Just on a side note, I hate to be you, buddy."

Blu sighed.

"Alright. I'll go see what's up."

Blu opened his wings and took off. He noticed the door to the hallway was just opening. He went through the blue door as an intern entered the room. At first, the intern saw Blu and ducked to let Blu through. The frightened intern then stood up and looked back to see Blu hovering in the middle of the hallway, flapping his wing in one spot in midair. Blu decided to go left and took off. The Hispanic intern just looked and remembered what Dr. Tulio said about the blue macaws. She entered the bird treatment nursery room and closed the door behind her.

She must be new, thought Blu. When I do that with the other interns, they don't flinch. Probably she thought I was going to hit her, even though I was flying above her,

He flew down the lit hallway, trying to find the room. He had a feeling his family was somewhere else than in the bird sanctuary. His kids had said it was too boring in there, and Jewel did not like being there all day. He had a hunch about what room they were in. He flew for about another thirty seconds until he heard voices. They were coming from the entertainment room. It was the room where the computer, television, and games for kids were. He landed on the green carpet at the entrance of the room and walked towards the couch. In front of the couch, he spotted Jewel talking about something. In front of Jewel were Xavier, Joseph, and Flor. They were sitting down, listening to their mother.

"Always stay in a group," Jewel said. "For chicks, it is dangerous to wander off from their parents."

Flor noticed Blu and smiled.

"Daddy's back."

The boys and Jewel looked towards Blu. He smiled at them and walked up to his mate.

"I see that the lesson is going well."

"Where were you?"

Blu faced his mate and nervously smiled.

"Just flying around, thinking. I may have overdone it."

"Blu, I needed your help."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Do you need my help now?"

Jewel shook her head.

"I got the kids under control. After lunch, I decided to teach the kids about what they should and shouldn't do in the jungle. But they were rowdy and didn't listen. I thought you were back and tried to find you, but I didn't find you. I got the kids to settle down again, so everything is fine."

Blu glanced at the chicks and then back at Jewel. He formed a grin.

"I must say Jewel. You are an excellent mother."

Jewel blushed.

"Thank you, Blu."

Blu embraced Jewel and smiled as he had his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth.

"Mama said if we behave, we could get some cookies later," came Xavier's voice.

Blu opened his eyes and slowly pulled away from the embrace. He still held Jewel's hips with his wings, but their faces were now an inch or two apart. Blu half-closed his eyes as Jewel shyly smiled.

"I thought you said not to bride the kids with treats."

"... But I wasn't going to get done with the lesson if I didn't quiet them down."

Blu dropped his wings as Jewel did the same.

"Anyways, what have you talked about?" asked Blu.

"Mostly everything. Stay together, follow orders, don't talk to strangers if alone, don't befriend predators, and I think that's it."

"You forgot one."

"I did? Which one?"

Blu faced the chicks.

"There is one more thing, kids. If you ever are in danger, try to hide or make whoever wants to hurt you bad believe that you are dead and try to escape when you have the chance."

The chicks nodded. Jewel smiled.

"Okay. I think it's time for a flying lesson. C'mon, Blu. We should go."

Blu widened his eyes.

"You mean now?"

"Well, yes. My plan was to teach the kids about the jungle and practice flying."

Blu scratched the top of his head.

"Has it really been fifteen years?"

Jewel narrowed her eyes, making Blu flinch.

"Sorry," he said, dropping his wing to his side.

"Blu, right now is the perfect time for our chicks to fly. They're old enough."

"I don't know about that."

"Trust me, Blu. I bet if you weren't captured as a chick, you would've known how to fly long before you and I met."

"But...I just... Are you sure they're ready?"

Jewel nodded her head.

"Yeah. They'll get the hang of it, and then will join us in the sky. Don't you remember Blu? When you first felt the sensation of flight?"

Blu remembered. Through a failed attempt by Rafael's theory and his fear of flying, the chained-together Blu and Jewel ended up falling off a cliff. However, luck was on their side. The landed on a hand glider. At first, Blu thought he was dead, but Jewel, out of joy of being back in the sky, told him no. Rafael was there, flying by his side, as he and Jewel were on the hand glider. Rafael asked if he could feel the joy of flight. It was then that Blu realized that this was one of the most important things missing in his life. How he survived fifteen years without this sensation was now a mystery to him. Now he understood what Jewel meant the night before. Flying is what no bird should live without.

He looked at Jewel and nodded his head.

"You're right," he said. "For fifteen years, I was missing the joy of flying. What kind of father would I be if I took away that from the kids?"

"A very bad one."

Blu half-closed his eyes and faced Xavier.

"Thank you Son," he said dully.

He turned back to face Jewel.

"So where do we teach them? In the bird breeding cage?"

Jewel shook her head.

"No. I was thinking in the jungle."

"The jungle? But shouldn't we have practice first before going out there?"

"No, Blu. As I keep on saying, the jungle is our home, not here. Living here is not what normal birds do."

"We're not normal?" quietly commented a worried Joseph.

"But don't all birds play Xbox and surf the web?" wondered Xavier.

"But Mama said that normal birds live in the jungle," pointed out Flor.

The chicks quickly thought about it. Joseph was the first to speak.

"If being normal means we have to live in the jungle, then I want to live in the jungle."

"Me too," said Xavier.

"Mama, when are we going to the jungle so we can be normal?"

Jewel slowly shook her head at her daughter.

"I don't know. It's up to your father."

The chicks looked at Blu with pleading eyes.

"Papa, can we go now?" asked Joseph. "I want to be normal."

"Yeah," said Flor. "I want to be normal too."

"After we eat cookies, can we go then?" asked Xavier, not forgetting his mother's promise to them.

Blu looked at his chicks with widened eyes. He then looked at his mate, who looked at him, waiting for a response. He looked back at his chicks.

"Well...er...you see.."

The puppy eyes from his chicks were too much. He submitted.

"Okay," he sighed. "Tomorrow morning, we leave for the jungle."


	5. Getting Ready

Blu opened his eyes the following morning. He did not wake up on his own. He was tapped by someone. He blinked to clear his vision and saw Jewel standing in front of him. He yawned.

"Is it morning already?"

"Unfortunately," said a tired Jewel.

"Did you just wake up too?"

Blu got to his feet as Jewel spoke.

"Yeah," she yawned. "It looks like the kids woke up earlier."

Blu sleepily looked around. Jewel was right. The kids were not in the fake den. He looked back at Jewel.

"They're probably playing games or something..."

He paused to yawn.

"...before we go."

"Well, let's get them. I want them to learn how to fly before it gets dark."

"Okay."

The two birds exited the den in their realistic-looking tree. It was made of some kind of plastic, much like everything else in the breeding jungle cage. The only thing real was the water that was routed into the bird cage with PVC piping that was cut in half. Everything else...the vines, the trees, the bushes, the leaves...was fake. Blu and Jewel flew off the plastic-like branch and handed to the gray door the interns and Tulio used to get into the bird cage. They landed in front of it, discovering it was slightly open.

"It looks like the kids opened it," said Jewel.

Blu shook his head.

"No. They're not that strong. Maybe it was that janitor that always come in every morning to clean the area. He must have left the door open. He's not exactly the brightest person."

"But he's very kindhearted. Remember when he caught Joseph when he fell off the branch accidentally?"

Blu thought about it.

"True."

"Maybe he saw the kids were up and figured they wanted to go to the kitchen to eat some food."

"I can see that...but Jewel, isn't the kindhearted janitor the same one that cusses under his breath?"

"Yeah, I believe so."

"Oh."

Blu and Jewel just looked at one another before they realized what was said. Their eyes widened in shock, and they bolted out of the room and started to fly down the hallway. They flew down the hallway until they reached the kitchen. There, they saw their kids on the white-tiled island counter with wooden drawers and cabinets. The island counter was in front of the black fridge, which was against the white wall. Beside the fridge were the oven, some more cabinets and drawers, cupboards, and the sink. The oven was in-between the fridge and the sink, with a couple of feet separating them each. Jewel and Blu noticed their chicks on the island counter. They were perched around a small, plastic plate filled with animal crackers and bird seed. As usual, the kids ate the animal crackers first and left the bird seed alone.

"Yummy!" commented Flor. "Those were good animal crackers."

Joseph smiled.

"You remember the time when Xavier thought they were from real animals?" Joseph asked Flor.

Flor giggled.

"That was funny."

Xavier gave a sharp stare at Joseph.

"Hey! I was only a chick back then."

"And what are you now?"

"A kid."

Flor rubbed the back of head in confusion.

"But it's the same thing, for a bird...is it?"

"No," said Xavier. "A chick knows nothing, but a kid knows everything."

Joseph blinked twice, thinking.

"But then why does Mama and Papa call us chicks?"

Xavier shrugged. He looked at the last cracker on the red, plastic plate. It was in a shape of a loin. He looked at it, deciding whether to grab it or not.

"Probably to make them feel young," he answered as he grabbed the cracker "If we're growing up, they must be getting older."

As Xavier was about to put it in his beak, Blu cleared his throat loudly The chicks turned their heads towards the entrance into the kitchen, down to the laminated wooden floor. They saw their parents, but their eyes dully focused on one chick in particular. Xavier, the troublemaker, placed .the cracker down cautiously back on the plate and faced his parents with an innocent look.

"Hi Mama. Hi Papa.: Did you just get here?"

"No. We were here," said Blu, "...for a while now."

"Oh...er... Did I mention you look great, Mama and Papa? I was going to tell Joseph and Flor, but we heard you clearing your throat and stopped talking to see who it was."

Xavier formed a wide grin. Jewel just shook her head. She faced Blu.

"I think he gets it from you. You know, with all the clever comebacks."

Blu shot Jewel an irritated look for a moment. Jewel faced her chicks and smiled.

"Well, are we all ready for a flying lesson?"

"But Mommy," started Flor, "shouldn't we wait an hour? People have to wait one hour after eating to go swimming or running, so is it the same with us for flying?"

Jewel shook her head.

"Birds are different. We can fly right after we eat. So, are we all ready to go?"

"Shouldn't we eat first, Jewel?" asked a slightly-concerned Blu.

Jewel faced Blu with an anxious face.

"I'm really not that hungry. I guess I'm too excited."

"Alright, but you should still eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"... I guess you're right."

Blu and Jewel flew up to the island countertop and looked at the plate. As suspected, all the animal crackers were gone. Jewel looked at her chicks.

"You didn't eat any of the birdseed."

"Sorry Mama," said Joseph.

"But if you want to grow big and strong, you need to eat the birdseed."

"But we're so full, Mommy," said Flor. "My tummy will hurt if I eat more."

Jewel sighed.

"I guess it doesn't matter. Our diet will change."

Flor tugged on her father's wing. Blu looked at her daughter.

"Can you let us down?" asked Flor. "The old man forgot to put the ladder up, so we can't climb down."

Blu smiled.

"Alright."

One by one, Blu gently grabbed a chick with his feet and flew down to the floor. The first one who got a ride down to the floor was Flor. Next, it was Xavier, and Joseph was the last one down. Blu stood in front of his three kids.

"Thank you, Daddy." said Flor.

"Thanks, Papa,: said Joseph.

"Thank you," mumbled Xavier.

Blu smiled.

"Alright. Be good chicks."

The three nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Blu already knew where they were going, so he showed no concern. He then flew up to his mate, who had started to eat greedily.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry?"

"Well, I wasn't, but I took one peck and remembered I was."

Blu smirked. He soon joined his mate in eating the birdseed mix untouched by their chicks.

* * *

Somewhere in the jungle, near Rio, was a tree den. This seemed like an ordinary den, similar to ones in the jungle, but every den held its secrets and this one was no different. The den was mostly empty except for a thin blanket that covered an individual. The individual was a bird, but he did not show his appearance. He was still resting, enjoying his sleep. He soon heard footsteps come into his den. He smiled as the footsteps suddenly stopped.

"So, have you found them?"

The hooded-clothed bird who had entered shook its head.

"No, but word has spread that they are coming to the jungle, Master."

The large, covered bird smiled.

"They're coming onto my turf then."

He paused and then begin to speak.

"My order is weak enough. It is growing, but it is still weak. When I heard of Delores's death, I was in shock. How could such weak creatures kill one of my strongest disciples?"

"But we did take two of their friends down."

"That isn't good enough!" yelled the bird from underneath the blanket. "I won't permit the existence of these two blue birds if they killed one of my disciples. They will pay."

"But Master, Delores's greed of eating these birds was her downfall."

"Silence! I don't want excuses as to why Delores died. They are pointless. The fact is that these two birds made a mockery of my order when they killed Delores. Soon, other birds might rise up. I vow to never let that happen."

The covered bird relaxed a bit, catching his breath.

"Go see if you can find someone to take them down that is part of my alliance."

The hooded, about-a-foot-tall bird bowed.

"Yes, Master."

It turned around and flew out of the den. The new task to this bird was to find someone who could take these Spix's Macaws to let other birds remember what the order stood for.

* * *

"Well, I hope the chicks enjoyed their stay in the game room," said Blu.

He and Jewel were walking down the main hallway of the bird sanctuary. The hallway had white tiles and white walls and was lightened during the night by long, fluorescent light beams. Jewel looked at her mate.

"Yeah. I had a feeling they would be too. Probably enjoying it as best they can."

They continued to walk down the hallway and reached the game room. They entered it with smiling faces.

"Are you..." started Blu, but then he stood surprised, "...ready...to go?"

Jewel's beak dropped as she and Blu saw what the chicks did. There, their chicks stood with smiling faces. Behind them was a neat pile of games, the laptop, a PSP, and an Ipod Nano. Blu gulped.

"Um... What is all...this?" asked Jewel.

"Are we leaving now?" asked Flor.

"Yes, but-"

"Then we're ready," said Joseph. "We probably need a travel bag for all this."

"Hold on," said Blu. "We can't take this."

"Sure we can," said Xavier. "We're the only ones that use it, so all of it is ours."

Jewel sighed.

"But I said that there is no electricity in the jungle."

"We know," started Joseph, "but I thought to myself that if there is no electricity, we can still bring things that run on battery."

Blu scratched his head.

"True, I guess."

Jewel turned towards Blu and gave him a cold glare.

"B-B-But," Blu started quickly after he felt Jewel's stare going down his spine, "what happens if the battery dies out? How are you going to recharge it without coming back here?"

"That's okay. Flor figured it out."

The stunned parents faced their daughter. Flor smiled.

"We can just use a car battery. If we put the proper connections and outlet changers thingys, then we can use all these things without coming back here to recharge. Or we can get those generators things and use that. Oh, and if that doesn't work, Papa told us that water can be used to get electricity, so we can use that to power the battery or the generator too."

Blu and Jewel looked at each other for a second and then looked back at their daughter. Flor's smile was wide enough to make her eyes close happily. She reopened her eyes to see her parents' concerned faces. Blu rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

"So...I guess my teachings weren't a complete waste. Who would've known my daughter could be so smart in science and math?"

Xavier and Joseph looked at their father with irritated faces.. Jewel looked over at her mate.

"Blu, this is no time for compliments," she said sternly.

She faced Flor, giving her a calmer expression.

"Meja, it's great that you're smart like your father, but we can't take these things."

"Why not, Mommy?"

"They're not ours."

"But we are the only ones that use them," said Xavier.

"That may be," said Blu, "but you did not buy them. Humans rely on money to buy things. Tulio and Linda spent a lot of money on these things."

"If they spent a lot of money, how come they don't use it?" asked Joseph.

Blu shrugged.

"Some humans are like that. The things they buy are things that they rarely use."

"And I don't think these would fit in a tree den once we find one," said Jewel.

Joseph seemed confused when he heard the words 'tree den'.

"A tree den?" wondered Joseph. "You mean like what those chipmunks live in?"

"Are we moving on our own freewill, or are we getting kicked out of the bird sanctuary?" wondered Xavier.

Jewel groaned under her breath.

"Normal birds like us live in dens."

"So...we live like cavemen, we look for our own food, we have no electricity, and we live in a tree den in a jungle?" questioned Joseph.

Blu nodded.

"Think of camping out in the jungle, but forever."

The chicks groaned.

"I'm having second thoughts now," said Xavier.

"Me too," said Flor.

"Same here," said Joseph. "If we have to give up all the things we are use to be normal birds, I don't want to be normal."

"Yeah," said Xavier. "Can't we just stay here?"

Blu wanted this too. The comfort and safety in the sanctuary was much safer here than in the jungle, but Jewel and Bela made good points too. The chicks were losing touch of their own species and thought birds were just as civilized as humans, and the sanctuary was not the ultimate haven. Besides, they were birds. They should set the example of what normal birds did, because if they did not, their chicks would grow up to not knowing what it was meant by to live free as a bird. Their chicks would become strangers to the bird community and would always have fear about the outside world. It happened to him.

If Tulio never barged in that day in Mooselake, he would not be standing here now. He would not know how to live like a real bird. Though his life was safe, comfortable, and secluded, he became socially awkward, feared adventure, and became distant with his own kind. But he did not have the choice. It was either go with the stranger named Linda or to die in that little box. Now, he had the option of giving his kids a better life. Though it would separate them from the safety and comfort of the sanctuary, the outcome of living in the jungle would have a better future for their chicks, or else he would not be deserved to be called a good parent. Blu planted his feet on the carpet more firmly and boldly faced his chicks.

"No," said Blu with a stern expression..

Jewel looked at Blu with widened eyes. She had not seen much of Blu's demanding side, but when it came out, she knew it was serious. There was no point in arguing when this side of Blu showed.

"But Daddy..." began Flor.

"I said no. I was changed from a bird to a human, living with them for fifteen years. I lost in touch with other birds and was an outcast. I won't let the same thing happen to my chicks. Now, be good chicks and go put the stuff back where it belongs."

The chicks stood silent, just staring at their father. Joseph sighed in defeat.

"C'mon, guys. Let's put the stuff back."

Flor and Xavier faced him, glanced at their father, and then looked back at their older brother. Xavier grumbled.

"Alright," said Flor.

Saddened, except for Xavier who was a little bit more upset than saddened, the chicks started to place the things back. Blu and Jewel decided to help their chicks and started to put the things back where they belonged. The faster this was done, the quicker the chicks flying lesson could begin.


	6. The Joy of Fligjht

**For those of you who are religious, there is a joke, so be forewarned. It isn't directly towards Him. IF you read it, then you might see the joke and see it is more towards people than God.**

* * *

The late morning sun looked down at the jungle of Rio with a smile. Today, there were no clouds, no speedy winds, or brutal exposure of heat. It was just a nice morning out in the jungle. The birds, mammals, and reptiles frolic in the jungle. The birds flew around, the mammals climbed trees and jumped from them, and the reptiles crawled or slithered on land or see. Insects were also making a scene in the jungle, but with so many predators out, they tried to stay hidden the best they could.

On a particular branch in the middle of the jungle, there was excitement. A family of macaws, Spix's Macaws to be exact, was standing on the branch, making sure it was the right one. Actually, the parents were making sure it was the right one for their chicks. In about a few minutes, their chicks were going to fly for the first time in their lives. Excitement filled the air for the parents. As for the chicks...well...they were excited at first, but that excitement withered away as they faced the reality of it. Three chick heads looked at the ground below. They gulped.

"It's...it's sure high up," commented Joseph.

Flor nodded.

"Probably tomorrow would be a better day to learn to fly," said Xavier.

The three chicks looked over at Jewel who was looking out at the jungle and then down at the branch of this high tree.

"Mama, can't we learn how to fly tomorrow?" Xavier asked.

Jewel looked down at her chicks and shook her head.

"No," she said calmly. "You are ready."

Joseph glanced off the branch and then looked back at his mother.

"I don't feel ready."

"Yeah," agreed Flor. "My tummy hurts."

Jewel smiled.

"You're just nervous. Trust me. You are ready."

Blu, who had been looking out to the other trees of the jungle, watching other birds from a distance, faced the female macaw.

"Jewel, are you sure this is a good branch to jump...I mean, fly off from?"

Jewel nodded.

"This looks like the old branch I flew off from when I was learning how to fly."

Blu looked at Jewel curiously.

"How can you tell?"

"You always remember your first flying lesson. You never forget."

"Like riding a bicycle."

Jewel gave Blu a confused face.

"A bicycle? Blu, did you learn how to ride one?"

Blu smiled.

"Well, technically, it wasn't really a bike. It was more like a toy tricycle."

"Wow Papa," said Xavier. "You could have been a circus star."

Blu smiled.

"Thanks, Son... W-w-wait a minute! A-a circus star?"

"I can see it now," smiled Xavier.

The slim chick raised his wings high into the air like a ringmaster getting the audience's attention.

"Lady birds and gents. Introducing the Amazing Blue Macaw."

He then pointed his wings towards Blu as if he was presenting them. Blu smiled.

"Amazing?" he mumbled happily to himself.

"This macaw is out of this world. See him ride a tricycle, do math, drink cocoa, and bore you to death. Tickets are selling, but don't worry. They won't sell out for this bird. I guarantee."

Xavier grinned at his father, dropping his wings to his side. Blu stared coldly at Xavier. He smacked his beak together one time and looked at Jewel.

"Did you hear that, Honey? Xavier wants to go first."

Xavier nervously smiled.

"Did I mention how not boring he is? Must have skipped that part in the advertisement folks."

Jewel walked over to Xavier and smiled.

"Are you ready, Mejo?"

Xavier cringed a little. He looked over the branch and gulped. He faced his mother.

"You know...my doctor says I shouldn't be flying."

"Off you go," said Jewel, pushing Xavier off the branch.

Joseph and Flor could not believe it. Their own mother pushed Xavier off the branch with no worries. Was that against the law? Flor and Joseph looked at their mother with worried eyes.

"Mommy, how can you be so mean?" asked Flor.

"Just wait a moment, Meja."

"But Mommy..."

She did not finish her sentence. She saw something slowly flapping its wings upward. The slim, amber-eyed chick Xavier faced Jewel with his eyes half-closed.

"Not cool, Mama. Not cool."

"Um...Xavier?"

Xavier looked down at Joseph.

"What?"

"You're...flying."

"Huh?"

Xavier looked down and saw the dirt and bushes of the jungle. He looked to his left and then his right, realizing he was flapping his wings. He then faced his family and smiled.

"No wonder you look smaller. This is... This is amazing."

Xavier quickly flew up to the sky, above the tree.

"I can see all of Rio!" he laughed. "I'm King of the Sky!"

He then looked down and grinned.

"I wonder what I can do with this power."

He remained in one spot, closed his eyes, and then skydived. His family saw this and was stunned at his speed. He felt their stares, but he also felt excitement. His heart was racing, and his blood was flowing. He needed to go faster. However, he was coming in too fast and too low. Blu saw it coming.

"Xavier! Watch out for that tree!"

"What tree?" wondered Xavier as he opened his eyes.

He saw it in front of him, and there was no way he could reduce his speed in time. His smiling expression dropped.

"Oh."

He slammed against the tree. Jewel was the most shocked out of all of them. Xavier started to fall, but he was not unconscious. He caught himself in midair and flew back to his family. He just hovered above them, flapping his wings.

"I'm...I'm okay."

"Make sure your head is screwed on right this time," smirked Joseph.

Xavier narrowed his eyes and huffed. Jewel and Blu looked at Joseph and then faced each other.

"I think Joseph is next," said Blu.

"Yep, he is," said Jewel.

Joseph's grinning expression dropped.

"I...I think I can wait for a few weeks."

He took one step back, but that was the furthest he could go. Someone blocked him. He looked up to see his mother's beaming face. He gulped.

"Alright," he said in defeat.

He looked over the branch and gulped.

"But let me say something."

Joseph got onto his knees, closed his eyes, and clapped his wings together.

"God, please don't let me die. I want to live on Earth for a while longer. If you take me into bird heaven, Mama and Papa will be sad. Don't make them sad God. Listen, it's not that I don't want to see you, but please, not just yet. Don't let me die God, because letting someone die is a sin, and you might go to...you know...down there."

Blu sighed and shook his head. He had taught religion to them in hopes of them adapting good morals...thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall honor thy parents..but it backfired. Not only did they not respect the second, third, fifth, eighth and ninth commandments constantly, but they got confused with who was God and the whole Bible.

"Joseph, God doesn't commit sin."

"But killing is a sin. If God lets me die, he is killing me and is committing a sin."

Blu groaned.

"I got to touch back on religion."

Joseph looked back to where he saw his younger brother. He was puzzled when he did not see him.

"Where did-"

"Just go already," said Xavier as he pushed Joseph from behind.

Joseph closed in eyes in fear and started to fall at first, but someone told him to open his wings. He did and soon starting to flap them. He felt that his descendant was taking longer, and then, all of a sudden, he felt himself ascending into the air. He opened his eyes and smiled as he saw Blu, Jewel, and Flor below him. Xavier was at his side in midair. Joseph faced his brother.

"I guess I needed the push."

"You're welcome."

Joseph dully looked at Xavier.

"That wasn't a thank you."

"But it was close to one."

Joseph huffed.

"Whatever."

The two birds looked down at Blu, Jewel, and Flor.

"Hey Flor," said Xavier. "Aren't you going to try?"

"It's super fun," said Joseph. "Just don't crash lie Xavier."

Xavier grunted.

Flor looked down at the ground. Nothing had changed. It was the same ground that they have been looking at for the past twenty minutes. The only thing that changed was her fear. Jumping off of such a high place was frightening to her...but if her brothers could do it, she could do it. She narrowed her eyes and readied herself by shaking her legs and behind. She did not look at her parents. She was in the zone. She was going to jump off and fly, just like her brothers. With determination written all over her face, she closed her eyes and jumped. Little did she know there was the chance she would never open them again as she hit her head on a lower branch.


	7. Flor's Worries

_The darkness was all around her. Flor looked to the left and then to the right from the floor she lied on. She pushed herself off the ground and walked around, seeing whether or not she could find light. She gulped._

_"H-Hello?"_

_Silence was the only thing heard._

_"Any-anybody?"_

_Her feet began to tremble. She frantically looked around to see if there was any signs of life besides her. She looked left and then right with every steps. The pacing slowly started to get faster, and she soon found herself running in panic._

_"Hello!" she yelled. "C-Can anyone hear me?"_

_"I can," echoed a voice._

_Flor abruptly stopped, trying to see where that voice came from. She turned and twisted herself around to find the comfort of not being alone. She then returned facing forward and soon jumped a little back in fright. A bird was smiling at her relatively close. Flor settled down, catching her breath._

_"Oh, did I startle you?" asked the bird._

_Flor looked from the ground and faced the bird. Her eyes dilated as she saw the bird in front of her. She saw an older macaw, considered to be a young adult. She stood slightly over a foot tall. Her radiant feathers glittered in the darkness, though they themselves were darkened blue feathers. She had a blackened beak a little bigger than Blu's beak and yellow feathers around her eyes that would be similar to girls when they put makeup around their eyes. Yellow feathers were directly behind the bottom portion of the beak. Her hazel eyes were focused down on Flor, and she smiled._

_"Hi."_

_Flor took a step back._

_"W-Who are you?"_

_The adult macaw slightly dropped her smile._

_"I don't mean to frighten you."_

_Flor shook her head._

_"N-n-no. I-I-I'm not s-scared."_

_The blue macaw looked down at the chick's legs._

_"Your feet are shaking," stated the blue macaw._

_Flor looked down and saw that it was true. She stopped her feet and looked up at the macaw, embarrassed. The macaw smiled._

_"You remind me of me when I was a chick."_

_"When you were a chick?"_

_The blue macaw nodded._

_"Yes."_

_"Um...but who are you?"_

_The blue macaw smiled._

_"I'm Flor."_

_"Flor? ...But that's my name. You can't have the same me as me."_

_The adult Flor looked to her left and noticed two small rays of light emitting from the distance._

_"Well, I think it's time for you to go."_

_"Go where?"_

_"Back to Blu and Jewel. We'll meet again."_

_"Blu and Jewel... Daddy and Mommy?"_

_Adult Flor did not say anything. As the light got brighter and brighter, the image of the Hyacinth Macaw slowly disappeared. The light began to irritate Flor's eyes. She covered them with her wings and welcomed the warmth._

Flor awoke to see her parents looking down at her with worried faces. She panicked for a brief moment, freaked out by her parents' awkward stares. Her parents moved from her sight, and she sat up.

"What's wrong?" asked the worried Jewel.

Flor settled down and noticed that she was in a den. The wooden den itself was empty. Only two other birds were present. Flor's brothers were against the wall, waiting for something. They both noticed that Flor had awoken and then rose to their feet.

"She looks fine," said Xavier. "Now, can we go?"

Joseph elbowed him. Xavier shot a glance at his brother.

"What was that for?"

Joseph dully faced his brother. Xavier got the message and huffed. He looked at his sister. He cleared his voice and spoke again.

"I mean...how are you doing?"

Flor shook her head.

"I...I think I'm alright."

"So, you don't need anything?"

Recent memories raced into her head. The last she remembered was that they were in the jungle, learning how to fly. Her brothers were able to do so, but she could not remember if she did. She remembered that she closed her eyes and joy, feeling the light breeze underneath her wings...and then something hard hit her.

"Did... Did I fly?"

"If you call that flying," commented Xavier.

His parents narrowed their eyes at their son. Xavier flinched, knowing he pushed the limit. Scared, he walked back towards the entrance of the den.

"I can feel the heat in here... I'm going to go get some water to cool off."

He turned around and flew out of the den. Blu just looked at where his youngest son took off from and sighed. He looked over to his other son. Joseph had gotten to his feet and was approaching them. He stood in front of his sister and smiled.

"I have to admit, Flor, that you can take a fall. I mean, falling that high and just waking up twenty minutes later means you're very strong...for a girl though."

Jewel, without facing her son, half-closed her eyes. Flor blinked twice and then looked up at her brother.

"Thanks...but if I was stronger, I would've flown."

Joseph dropped his cheery face.

"Don't worry. You'll get it soon enough."

"But you and Xavier got it on the first try."

"Yeah, but...um... I don't know. I guess...everyone's different."

Flor sighed and looked down at the floor of the den.

"But I don't want to be different."

"It's okay to be different," said Blu, wrapping a wing around his son's shoulders. "I mean, I'm different than most birds."

Flor looked up at Blu with a worried face.

"But does that mean I won't fly until fifteen years later?" she questioned with watery eyes. "I don't want to wait that long. I want to fly now."

Jewel wrapped her wing around Flor. Flor buried her face in her mother's feathers on her belly.

"There, there," said Jewel. "Flor, you will fly soon enough. Just be patient and don't ever give up. Even though it took your father fifteen years, it doesn't mean it'll take you fifteen years. It took him only a few days, because he never really tried until he met Tulio. If you just keep on trying, you will fly soon enough."

* * *

"So, these two Spix's Macaws were involved in killing Deloris?"

The brown-hooded bird nodded.

"Yes," replied the brown-hooded bird. "The Master told me that these two birds must be dealt with."

A black-hooded bird, standing in front of the brown-hooded bird in a bush in a secluded part of the jungle, smirked.

"It is to be expected. If they caused the death of Deloris, they must be dealt with. Do you know where they are?"

"Well...er...no."

The black-hooded, medium-sized bird groaned. The foot-tall, brown-hooded bird began to panic.

"Well...it's just that-"

"This is to be expected from a messenger."

The black-hooded bird looked up into the starry night, thinking. After a moment or so, it faced down at the brown-hooded bird.

"I'll just find out on my own. Hopefully I find them and kill them to restore power to the order... How's Master doing?"

"He's still recovering from his injuries from them," said the brown-hooded bird. "Until he recovers, we can't let no one see our faces or hear us talk about the order openly."

"Yes. I know that well. Master was very specific about that. He took extra cautions when Deloris's dead body was exposed. They might now know where we are because of Deloris."

"But they haven't attacked yet."

"I know, and I doubt they would even attack us now. Even though they managed to drive us off, we left their group destroyed. Only two survived. We did pretty good with only five birds against their thirty-bird alliance. A bunch of weaklings. Though we retreated because of the fear of losing Master, their power now does not compare to ours. Don't worry. I'll take care of these macaws and let every bird know the order is in control."

There was a long pause of silence. During that pause, the black-hooded bird turned around and looked back up at the sky. The brown-hooded bird broke the silence.

"Do you need anything to help you?"

"Aren't you talking to the greatest assassin in the order?"

The brown-hooded bird did not respond right away.

"Then I'll inform Master that you accept."

The black-hooded bird nodded. The two birds then flew off in opposite directions into the moonless night.

* * *

_Flor was on the branch from this morning. The jungle was in front of her sight, filled with trees, vegetation, and animals on this fine afternoon. In the distance, she saw four blue birds flying in midair. She recognized them as her family and smiled._

_"C'mon, Flor!" shouted Joseph._

_"Yes," said Blu. "We're waiting for you."_

_"You can do it!" yelled Xavier._

_"Come join us, Meja," said Jewel._

_"Alright. I'll be right there."_

_With that said, Flor leapt off the branch and started to flap her wings. However, she saw herself descending rapidly. She soon realized she was falling down. She looked down at the ground, waiting for impact, but it never came. Instead, it changed. _

_The jungle floor had disappeared, and it had been replaced with treetops of the jungle. She looked around as she continued to fall and noticed that she was falling from a higher altitude. She also saw that she was near a rocky cliff. It appeared as if she really jumped off a cliff other than a tree branch. She looked above her and startled herself as she noticed that a black-hooded bird staring down at her from the cliff's edge. All she heard was a maniacal laugh before she disappeared into the treetops and smacked the ground._

Flor opened her eyes and quickly sat up in sweat. She looked around and saw that she was in the tree den. Her parents were sleeping soundly next to each other as her brothers slept against the fake wooden walls. She rubbed her eyes.

"It was...it was just a dream," she whispered to herself.

Remembering it, she frowned. In the dream, she wanted to join her family in flight, but she could not, just like now. She groaned to herself.

"No, I can fly. I know it."

She rose to her feet and walked out of the den. She walked across the plastic-like branch and looked out into the bird breeding cage. A few trees covered the wall of the cage, but she could still see the door.

"I bet I can fly to the door."

She opened her wings and smiled. She was going to do it. She was going to fly. She jumped off and flapped her wings, but she fell and hit the soft ground. She let out an 'oof' and got to her feet. She dusted herself off.

"That was just a warm-up."

She walked to the branch and slowly climbed up it using her beak. After a couple of minutes, she made it back on the branch. She walked to the spot where she just tried to fly off from and opened her wings again. She jumped into the air and flapped her wings. She struggled with two flaps in midair, but she soon found herself falling again. She shook her head and got up from the ground.

"Alright. They say 'third time's the charm'."

She went back up the branch and tried again. She ate dirt again. She rose to her feet.

"I'm not giving up."

She climbed onto the branch and tried again...and again...and again...


	8. Wishful Thinking

Jewel woke up the next morning with a smile. Light, refracted through the window above the bird breeding cage entered the den slightly. Jewel got to her feet and walked outside, careful not to wake up the boys. As she walked towards the branch, she stretched her wings.

"Ah," she breathed. "Morning. After breakfast, we'll go to the jungle and..."

She caught something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw her daughter on the ground. Panicking, she flew down and landed in front of Flor.

"Flor?"

Jewel tapped her daughter. Flor groaned and opened her eyes. She looked at the bird who woke her up with an annoyed face. Jewel sighed in relief.

"Ah, thank goodness."

Flor groaned again and planted her face in the ground.

"Flor, what are you doing down here?"

"Mev me aone."

Jewel was puzzled by this.

"What was that?"

Flor slightly lifted her head up, but she still would not face Jewel.

"Leave me alone."

Instead of getting hurt by that comment, Jewel looked at her daughter with a caring face.

"Flor, what's wrong?"

At first, Flor did not reply.

"C'mon, Meja," encouraged Jewel. "It will make you feel better if you talk about it."

Flor shook her head.

"No it won't."

Jewel looked up and saw the branch above Flor. She then looked back down at her daughter. Flor sat up and sighed as she continued to look at the Flor. Though no words were exchanged, Jewel knew what her daughter did. Jewel wrapped her wing around her daughter and smiled.

"Flor, you'll get the hang of it."

Flor looked up at her mother with teary eyes.

"No. Mommy, I tried many times before my head started to hurt... Maybe, I'm not meant to fly. Maybe, I'll always be a grounded bird."

Jewel shook her head.

"You're a macaw, Meja. Macaws are meant for flying."

"But it seems like I'm different."

Two teardrops splattered on the ground.

"I don't want to be different. I want to be the same."

"If we were all the same, what would be the excitement of meeting someone new?"

"But at least I'll know I can fly... Now, it's like 'Hi, I'm Flor, the smart bird who can't fly'."

Jewel moved her wing back to her side and perched down with Flor.

"Listen to me. If every bird could fly on the first try, that would be a first. Don't tell your father this, but I didn't fly on my first...or second...or third time. It just take practice."

"But that's better than me. I think I'm on my ninth try. I got one more wingtip feather to count from before I start counting on my talons."

There was a pause before Jewel broke the silence.

"Well, I think it's the fact that this is a cage. You only tried once in the jungle. Maybe you can do it out there."

Flor gave her mother a confused look.

"Is there really a difference?"

Jewel nodded.

"This cage is too fake. I'm sure you'll fly outside of the sanctuary."

"But I still don't see how. It's the same air."

"It might be, but one is flowing freely, and one flows by that noisy machine on the roof. Flying is all about freedom. Birds are free animals. They don't learn how to fly in a cage; they learn how to fly in the outside world."

"...I think that makes sense."

Jewel got up and smiled. She extended her wing out to help her daughter up.

"C'mon. Let's get some breakfast and try again in the jungle."

Flor smiled and grabbed her mother's wing. She stood to her feet, hearing the sound of her brothers from the den.

"Xavier, you're so selfish."

"No, I'm not. I just want to get breakfast first to get all the good stuff."

"Um... That's the definition of being selfish."

"And? If you're not first, you don't get anything. That's the reason why first place gets trophies and last place gets nothing."

There was a pause.

"Yeah, but..." started Joseph, "um...uh..."

"As you think of a comeback, I'm going to get some Pops."

"But there's hardly anything left."

"Don't worry. You can have Raisin Bran."

"Yuck! Nobody likes that cereal."

"The old do, and that's only because they have no sense of taste. That's why Papa likes it so much."

"Right. It's really... Wait! Xavier, I'm not that old...uhh...I mean I'm not old."

"I love to stay and chat, but I need to get my Pops."

"No," said Joseph, "I'm getting them."

"Then you want to race for it."

"Sure."

"Okay...but...um...was it you who wet the bed over there."

"Wet the bed?" questioned Joseph, turning around for a few seconds and then turning back. "Wait! We don't have a bed, and I don't wet it. Xavier..."

Joseph saw his brother was not there. Flor and Jewel saw Xavier fly out of the den, laughing. He flew to the entrance of the bird breeding cage. Joseph soon ran across to the middle of the branch and yelled at his brother.

"That's cheating, Xavier!"

Joseph opened his wings, but he was stopped by Blu's voice.

"Joseph, don't follow him," Blu said, walking out of the den.

"But he's going to win."

"Son, you do know the door is locked. It's Sunday, so the intern is going to open it at eight o'clock. It's only seven."

* * *

Out in the jungle was a trio of toucans. One was a Keel-billed Toucan, and the other two were Toco Toucan. They sat on a branch, observing the jungle. The sun's light made it easier to see everything clearly, even if it had to go through opening spots leaves of trees did not shade. The wind tickled the toucans feathers.

"Poppy, it's a little cold," said the Toco Toucan chick.

"You're just nervous, Miguel," said the Keel-billed Toucan.

Miguel, the black-eyed Toco Toucan chick, looked down at the ground. He gulped and looked up at his father.

"Do I really have to do it?" asked Miguel.

The Toco Toucan male nodded.

"All birds do...well, in the jungle."

The Toucan chick with a few feathers slightly sticking up on top of his head looked back down to the ground. He then looked towards the jungle. He then noticed something in the distance. They were four dots, getting bigger and bigger as they drew closer to him, Rafael, and Eva. The dots soon came into view. The adult toucans recognized it as Blu, Jewel, and their chicks. Blu was carrying Flor.

"Look at that," Rafael said with a smile. "It's the Blu family."

"Their chicks are so big now," said Eva. "The last time we saw them, they were still eggs."

Miguel faced his parents.

"But you told me I came from the stork."

Rafael nervously smiled.

"Well...the stork brought your egg to us."

Miguel half-closed his eyes.

"I think...there's more to it," he muttered to himself.

The Blu family landed on the branch Rafael and his family were on. The blue macaws faced them and smiled.

"Hey Rafael."

Blu extended his wing. Rafael looked at it and shook his head.

"That's not how to greet a friend who is gone for months."

Rafael opened his wing and gave Blu a bro-hug. Blu smiled.

"I guess it has been a while."

Xavier and Joseph looked at the two birds, confused.

"Why is that big-beaked bird hugging Papa?" Joseph whispered to his brother.

Xavier shrugged.

"Maybe it's his other one."

"Other one?" question Joseph, facing Xavier.

"Well, Mama and Papa are together, so this must be Papa's other bird, and Mama seems okay with it."

Jewel was next to Xavier. Without looking at her son, Jewel smacked the back of his head with her wing. An 'ow' was heard, and it was followed by Xavier rubbing the back of his head, looking up at Jewel. The other adults, Blu having let go of Rafael's hug greeting, looked at Jewel. She smiled.

"Chicks. Always misunderstanding things."

Blu let it be and faced his friends.

"So, Rafael, Eva. How's it been?"

Eva smiled.

"Everything is good."

"Yeah," said Rafael. "The jungle has never been so peaceful."

"So...there's no eagle of death?" asked Blu.

"Not anymore."

"Well, that's good."

"So, what are you two doing out here with your little one?" asked Jewel.

Rafael smiled and put a wing on Miguel's shoulder.

"It's Miguel's first flying lesson."

Flor looked at the small toucan who was named Miguel. She saw her brothers approaching him and followed them. Miguel looked at the three macaw chicks and smiled.

"Hello. I'm Miguel."

The male macaw chicks smiled.

"Hi Miguel. My name is Joseph."

"I'm Flor."

"The name's Xavier."

The toucan chick smiled.

"So, you papa said it was your first flying lesson?" wondered Joseph.

Miguel hesitantly nodded.

"Y-yeah. I'm just a little nervous here."

"There's nothing to be worried about...except for hitting a tree to show off."

Xavier faced his brother with an irritated face. He then dropped it and looked back at Miguel.

"Listen, flying is all about feeling free," said Xavier. "It's excitement and joy and...you know...all this mushy stuff."

Xavier rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's kind of hard to talk about feeling... You just have to do it."

Miguel looked off the branch and gulped. He then glanced over at the three macaws. Xavier and Joseph had beaming expressions. Flor seemed a little bit more down, just staring down at the ground.

"Flor, maybe you can tell me what flying is?"

Flor slowly turned towards Miguel and nervously formed a small grin.

"Oh, yeah. Flying is...um... Flying is about...uh...letting go of your fears. When you fly, nothing else can compare, except for family and love. Flying is just...a different feeling that is different for every bird, but in a good way."

Joseph smiled.

"Here. I'll show you."

Joseph took off from the branch and flew in front of the two families. The sky was the only limit for him. He gained speed by flapping his wings harder and did a large somersault in air, immediately followed by another. Xavier grumbled.

"Show off," he said, flapping his wings and joining his brother in flight.

Xavier first flew down to gain speed and then quickly turned upward as he neared the ground. He started to spin and spin and spin as he ascended into the sky. Joseph was completing a somersault when he noticed Xavier was in his path. It would usually take two seconds to react, but he only had one. The brothers collided with each other and started to fall. They managed to catch themselves promptly and then stared down at each other.

"Watch where you're flying," said Xavier.

"You know...it's bad to have air rage. Makes you a bad flyer."

"Well, I wouldn't have it if you knew you were in my way,"

"But you saw me doing a somersault."

Xavier rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Joseph."

Miguel, confused by how the two brothers acted, leaned over to Flor. He whispered into her ear hole.

"Do they always act like this?"

Flor nodded.

"You get use to it after the first month."

Xavier and Joseph looked down at Miguel and smiled.

"C'mon, Miguel," called Joseph. "It's fun. You can do it."

"Yeah," said Xavier. "Just don't look down."

"But I already looked down," commented Miguel.

"Then don't be a chicken about it anymore," continued Xavier. "Just look up now."

Miguel readied himself by extending his wings out to stretch them. He glanced down at the ground and then looked up at Joseph and Xavier. They seemed to be having so much fun...and he wanted a piece of that fun. He let nothing hold him back and jumped. He fell and fell and fell, until he finally found his rhythm of flying and ascended up in the sky. He soon joined Joseph and Xavier and laughed in amazement.

"See?" said Xavier. "Isn't this great?"

Miguel nodded.

"You guys were right. You can't explain the joy of flying."

"C'mon," said Joseph. "We'll teach you how to do tricks."

"Okay."

He then looked down at the branch and saw the smiling parents and Flor. Miguel flew down to the branch and landed next to the female chick.

"C'mon Flor. Let's play a game."

Flor shyly smiled.

"That sounds like fun, but...I can't because...I sprained my wing this morning, and it hurts a lot."

Miguel's expression dropped slightly, but it lifted back up.

"Well, hopefully it heals soon so we can play."

Miguel took off and joined Xavier and Joseph, who were deciding what to do first. Flor just watched them intensely, wishing that she was up there. Being grounded was a horrible feeling; a feeling no chick should experience. She sighed. Jewel took noticed of her daughter, hearing the little white lie to avoid embarrassment. Jewel looked up at her mate.

"Blu, my boy is flying," said a proud Rafael. "Ah. Just watching them makes me want to samba."

"Yeah. It's a good feeling."

"Blu?"

Blu looked back to his precious Jewel.

"I'm going to take Flor to the creek we passed by. Can you watch the boys?"

Blu looked down at his daughter to see the eyes of failure. He knew that feeling of wishing for something, but not achieving it in reality. The first time he truly ever felt that feeling was when Jewel and him were free from those chains. He had to face facts that he would never fly like her. They could not be together because of that sense of reality of not being able to fly. He changed it though, but that feeling was still something he never wanted to experience again. He knew the truth and did not ask why Flor had a sprain week. He just slightly smiled at his daughter and faced Jewel.

"Okay. We'll be there in a while."

"It was nice seeing you again, Eva and Rafael."

Eva turned towards Jewel.

"You're leaving already, Meja?"

"Well, I promised my daughter I would take her to the creek for some mother-daughter time."

Eva warmly smiled.

"Well, alright. We'll have to catch up some other time them."

Jewel beamed and looked down at Flor.

"Are you ready to go?"

Flor nodded. Jewel flew over her daughter and picked it up with her talons, like a crane. As they left, Flor looked back at the flying chicks, thinking that she would never fly.


	9. The Creek of Determination

Flor opened her wings once again. She flapped once to get the feel for it...then twice...then three times. She looked up into the blue sky that was slightly cloudy. She narrowed her eyes, determined on reaching her goal to fly. She shook her tail feathers a little and jumped off, flapping her wings. One flap...two flaps. She could not do any more flaps and fell down. She landed on the shallow creek on her butt and sighed.

"I think I can be a better swimmer than a flying," she said, looking down at her reflection in the water and splashing the water with her wing.

Jewel walked over to Flor with a mouthful of water and opened her beak, letting the water spill on her daughter's head.

"Jumping off a big rock isn't the same as jumping off from a branch," said Jewel.

Flor shook her head because of the coldness of the water.

"But, at least, it hurts less."

There was a pause of silence before Jewel spoke.

"It will come when the timing is right."

Flor looked up at her mother with pleading eyes.

"But Mommy, I want to fly now."

"You will fly, Flor. I promise. You just have to be patient."

"Yeah, but-"

"Be patient, Meja."

Flor was about to say something, but she decided to drop it. Probably her mother was right. All she needed to be was patient for when the time comes, but when will she know when the right time comes. Maybe...the right time will come too late for her. It was a funny thing...time. The right time will always come, but it probably would not match up with the right time when the person or animal needs it. Only a handful would see this perfect timing match up with the right time. For the rest of the world, it would happen earlier or later than the right time, and it would sometimes be the right time when the person's or animal's time was up. The right time...when Flor would fly...was unpredictable.

"I'm going to try again."

Flor stood up and faced the rock behind her. She walked around it and walked up the side of the rock with a smooth slope. She reached the top of the rock and looked down. Her mother, three-quarters the size of the rock, waved up at her with a smile. Flor smiled back. She then looked up towards the sky, which was slightly covered by barely-moving tree branches. She jumped off the rock and flapped her wings. However, she did not succeed again and fell. This time, Jewel caught her.

Jewel set her down on the wet ground. She still had her wings around her daughter. Flor looked up at her mother with watery eyes and then just buried her face in her mother's belly. She cried.

"Just don't ever give up, Flor," whispered Jewel.

Flor slowly moved away from her mother's feathery belly and sniffled.

"I...I..."

Flor then noticed a bird landing behind her mother. Jewel heard the sound of flapping wings and rippling water and looked back. Near them landed a female Blue-cheeked Amazon with violet eyes. The amazon shook herself.

"A little cold," she commented to herself, "but it..."

She had the feeling someone was staring at them. She looked to her left and saw the female blue macaw with a female blue macaw chick hiding behind her.

"Oh. I didn't see this creek was taken."

Jewel shook her head.

"The creek isn't ours. You're welcome to join us."

The amazon smiled.

"Thank you very much. It's the only place I know that is close to my den."

The amazon walked up to Jewel and her daughter and finally realized something.

"Wait," she said with a facial expression of curiosity. "Aren't you two Spix's Macaws?"

Jewel nodded.

"It's funny. It wasn't too long ago that I met another one. In fact, it was only a few days ago."

"Another Spix's Macaw?" questioned Jewel with a hint of hope there might be others.

"Yes. I forgot the guy's name, but...he was kind of goofy and timid and had this fear of the jungle."

Jewel grew suspicious.

"Did he have amber eyes, dark blue feathers, and said he had a mate and three chicks?"

"I'm not sure how many chicks he claimed he had, but he did mention a mate and had amber eyes and dark blue feathers... Do you know him by chance?"

Jewel's expression lightened. At least, this time, Blu mentioned he had a mate instead of a girlfriend. He was still going to get the look though.

"Yes. He's my mate."

"Oh... Well, it's nice to meet you."

Jewel studied the amazon's facial expression.

"It looks like you don't believe me."

"Well..it's just that...you two don't seem to combine. I see him as clumsy and goofy, but you seem more serious... Oh, listen to me. I say these things, yet I'm not the one who decides who should love who. I'm sorry about this. I guess I should leave."

The amazon turned around and was about to fly off when Jewel's voice stopped her.

"Wait. You aren't unwelcomed."

The amazon glanced back.

"But I offended you. I'm sorry for that."

"Call it a bad first impression."

The amazon smiled and turned around.

"Thank you."

She extended a wing out.

"My name is Bela."

Jewel took it and shook it.

"I'm Jewel," she said and dropped her wing, looking down at Flor, "and this is my daughter Flor."

Flor nervously clung to her mother's back side. Bela smiled.

"Don't worry... You know, you're adorable."

Flor shyly smiled.

"So, where did you meet my mate?" asked Jewel.

Bela directed her attention to Jewel.

"I was at the club. I was there at the bar, alone. See, I got dumped by my boyfriend for a prettier bird. I was there, drinking my sorrows away, when I saw a blue macaw sitting a few seats away from me. I thought he was also a single bird, but I was wrong. He told me he was mated and had three kids. He also mentioned he was a little scared about the safety of the jungle. We had a short talk on what was a safe place. I would've talked longer, but I had to go babysit my neighbor's chicks. I made a promise to them I would do so, and I can't back out of a promise with them."

Jewel quickly thought about what this bird had said. She and Blu had a talk about the safety of the jungle. That could explain why Blu seemed a little more confident to move here. Just a little though. Jewel bobbed her head down to get some water in her beak and sprinkled it down on her left wing. She then looked back at Flor and smiled.

"Meja, why don't I bathe you?"

Flor blushed in embarrassment.

"Mommy, not in front of...uh...Bela. Besides, I'm going to try again."

Jewel smiled warmly.

"Okay, Meja."

Flor walked to the rock and up its slope. Bela looked at her in wonder. She turned to Jewel.

"What's she's doing?"

"Trying to learn how to fly."

Bela looked back at Flor. She saw the chick open her wings, shook her behind a little, and jumped. Bela watched as Flor flapped once in the air and fell to the shallow water. Flor, in frustration, splashed the water with her wings simultaneously.

"I can't do it! I...can't do it."

Flor looked at her reflection in the water. There, she saw chick. A chick that was as beautiful as her mother and as smart as her father. She also saw a chick who would be walking for the rest of her life.

Just then, she noticed another reflection. Though it was fuzzy, the face of the reflection was the face of the bird she saw in her dreams. She had said her name was Flor. Was it...was it someone who her parents knew, because she had stated their names. She would have to ask Mommy if there was a bird she knew named Flor.

"Flor?"

Flor looked up to see the smiling face of Bela.

"Hey, Flor. I can see you're having some troubles."

Flor tilted her head down slightly.

"You can say that again," sighed Flor.

Bela briefly glanced up at the rock and then back at Flor.

"You know...I can probably give you a pointer or two, if you want to hear what I have to say."

"Pointers?"

"Yeah. Some advice. I saw that you jumped off and then started to fly. Why not flap your wings before you fly?"

Flor thought about it.

"I never really thought of that."

She smiled and then looked back up at Bela with a smile.

"Thanks, Bela."

"Now, don't give up if it doesn't work the first time. It takes time, like all things, but when you do it your first time, it will be the greatest feeling and the dearest feeling."

"The dearest feeling?"

"A feeling that you treasure forever. You will remember your first flight, not only because it was your first time, but how you never gave up achieving this goal."

Flor took in what Bela said. Giving up... A bunch of beings did this. It becomes too difficult or they feel it is impossible for them. But if they gave up,, that meant they did not want the goal, the dream, in the first place. Why would anyone have a dream and not live it. Sure, there were limitations, but after those limitations were broken, what was stopping them? Flor would be different, even if she wanted the same thing as any bird that could fly. She would reach her dream and join her family in the sky. Flor stood to her feet from her sitting position.

"I'm going to try again."

Flor happily walked up the rock to fly off from it again. Jewel walked over to Bela and smiled.

"I've never seen her more determined than ever."

She faced Bela.

"Thank you, Bela."

"There's no need to thank me, Jewel. I'm happy to help."

* * *

The brown-hooded bird landed on the branch of the den that belonged to Master. It entered the den, a little frighten about how Master would react to this news. It saw Master, still covered in sheets to hide himself in. The medium-sized bird rubbed his wings together and breathed out calmly.

"Master?"

It took a moment for Master to reply.

"Yes? Why do you disturb me? I'm sleeping."

"Well...it's just that there's new development."

"So, the assassin failed."

"Not quite."

Master turned around and faced the hooded bird. The hooded bird only saw Master's reddish brown eyes staring at him.

"Then what could it possibly be?"

"Well...um...it seems there's a new bird in the jungle."

"A new bird? Mmm... Could it be useful?"

"I think so."

Master wickedly grinned.

"Then bring it to me. I'll see if I can use it."

* * *

Blu and the boys had departed from where Rafael, Eva, and Miguel were. It was getting late, and they needed to find a place to sleep in. They were flying to the creek where Jewel said her and Flor would be at.

"Papa, I wanted to play with Miguel a little more," said Joseph.

"We need to find your mother before sundown," stated Blu. "I don't want to be flying around at night."

"Papa's such a party-pooper," said Xavier.

"Hey. I can be the life of the party."

"At a nerd convention."

Blu glanced back at his son and then looked forward.

"There's nothing wrong with being a nerd. The most smartest people are rich and know how to make new and exciting things using their knowledge."

"But what about celebrities? They don't seem smart, but they are rich."

"...Because stupidity sells."

Xavier thought about it.

"So...if I act dumb enough, I can make money?"

Joseph looked at his brother.

"You need to be a celebrity first."

Xavier looked forward as he continued to fly and smiled.

"Then I'll do that. I'll become a celebrity."

Joseph half-closed his eyes.

"You do know the only ones who get paid are humans."

"But then what do famous birds get?"

"A lifetime supply of birdseed and being stuck in a cage."

Xavier took a moment to respond.

"Well, being a celebrity is too overrated, but I'll be famous. Just watch."

Blu smiled.

The three birds came up to the shallow creek in the jungle they bypassed earlier. They spotted Flor and Jewel down there, but they also saw another bird. They flew down and landed in front of Jewel and this other bird. It seemed they were talking.

"I found you, my Jewel."

"Oh. Blu."

Blu looked at the other bird and was surprised to see her. Bela smiled.

"It has only been a few days. How are you doing, Blu?"

"Bela?"

"We were just here for a few minutes before Bela came here. We've been talking about...things."

Blu looked back at Jewel and studied her eyes. Something told him he was up for a long discussion before going to sleep.

"So, it seems you are going to live here?"

Blu faced Bela, recalling her question.

"Y-Yes."

Bela smiled.

"Good for you. Trust me. You'll love it here."

Bela looked up at the sky and slowly dropped her smile. She faced Blu and Jewel.

"Look at the sun. I better get going before sundown. Goodbye, and I hope we meet again."

"It was nice meeting you, Bela," said Jewel.

Bela flapped her wings and took off. She disappeared into the jungle from the blue macaws. Blu slowly looked towards his mate and smiled.

"Well...um...you tow met, so there's no need-"

"We'll talk later."

Jewel turned around and walked over to get her daughter. Blu sighed. Xavier looked up in curiosity at his father.

"Who was that bird, Papa?"

"Her name is Bela."

"Bela," he breathed. "She's pretty."

"Well...to other birds, yes."

"She's even prettier than Mama."

Blu flinched at his son's words. He looked up to see Jewel coldly staring back. He gulped and looked down at Xavier, who was also frightened by his mother's stare.

"Son, it looks like you'll be joining me in my grave tonight."


	10. Guardian Angel

Flor looked down at the wooden floor. They were in an abandoned den that her father had found. They were to rest there for the night...and then the next night...and the next and the next. It was now their new home in the jungle. To give up the giant room for this tree den was uncomfortable, but her mother had told her and her brothers they would get use to it. Speaking of her brothers, they were sleeping near her, covered with big, green leaves to not get that cold during the night. Jewel draped a leaf over Flor's back, not covering her head. She looked down and smiled at her daughter.

"There. You should go to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Flor's eyes widened and faced Jewel..

"Mommy, when do you think I'll be able to fly?"

"Soon, Meja. Real soon."

"But Mommy, I am trying and trying and trying, but I still can't fly. Even with that lady bird's advice, I still can't fly."

"You will, Meja. Remember, it just takes time."

"But what if I'm just a grounded bird...like a dodo?"

Jewel's face expressed confusion.

"A what?"

"A dodo is an old, flightless bird who use to live long ago."

"W-Where did you learn that?"

"Papa taught me," smiled Flor.

Jewel looked over to where her mate was. He stood in front of the entrance of the den, looking out of it. She smiled and looked back at her daughter.

"Well, you should rest now. Tomorrow, we'll try again, and I'm sure by the end of the day, you'll be flying."

"I really hope so," said Flor with a hint of uncertainty.

Jewel watched as Flor closed her eyes and started to rest. She warmly smiled and then faced her mate. He was still in the entrance of their new den. She walked over to him and stood at his side. She faced him.

"Blu, what are you doing?"

"I'm wondering if I could install like a door or something I could lock."

Jewel sighed and shook her head with a small grin.

"It's fine."

Blu looked at her and said, "But what if someone tries to get in and-"

"Relax, my Blu bird. The jungle doesn't work that way."

"But remember those poachers and Nigel."

"Yes, but that's different. Nigel was a trained bird and the poachers were humans. Humans are the only beings who don't respect one another's space. Sure, in the animal kingdom, territory is sometimes debated, but animals only take what they want after they earned it, by challenging the alpha male. Some humans act like rodents. They sneak into each other territory and take what they want without taking into account how hard other humans worked for the things the alpha male has. Desperation is bad thing."

"Mm... I guess you're right. I mean when we use to live in the jungle, the night seemed quiet... Hopefully, those dreams don't come back."

Jewel placed a wing around Blu's hips and snuggled closer to him.

"And they won't."

A smile crept on Blu's face. He looked outside, seeing the jungle at night for the first time in a while. It all seemed peaceful...calm...and relaxing.

* * *

The assassin flew from tree to tree, hoping to find them. The information gathered proved to be somewhat useful. The black-hooded and black-caped bird knew the blue macaws were in the jungle. The question was where though. The bird spent an hour flying from tree to tree in search for them. However, the search was getting tiring.

"I can't do this alone," the bird whispered to itself as she perched on a branch. "I need a partner or someone to help me. The only question is who though. The order has few birds. I doubt any of them would help me. I need outside help... Maybe him."

The bird halted the search as she decided to seek the bird who could probably help.

* * *

_"Flor. Flor."_

_Flor opened her eyes. She looked around and saw white all around her...the floor, in the distance, and the sky. She did noticed one thing different and that was the pair of black macaw feet. She looked up and saw the face of the Hyacinth Macaw she once saw before in this area. Flor shook her head to make sure if she was seeing things... Nope, it was real...at least, in her mind. She got to her feet and faced the Hyacinth Macaw. The adult macaw smiled._

_"It's you again. You...have the same name as me."_

_The adult macaw nodded._

_"Yes. I'm Flor too."_

_Young Flor rubbed the top of her held one time._

_"This...this is too weird."_

_"And it might become weirder," smiled adult Flor._

_The young chick soon remembered that this Flor called her Mommy and Daddy by their actual names. She gave the adult Flor a wondering face._

_"Who are you? How do you know Mommy and Daddy?"_

_"Mommy and Daddy? You mean Blu and Jewel? Well...it's a long story. You can say I met your father during a fly and then met your mother days later at the club. I helped your father to try to learn what he can to survive in the jungle, hoping he wouldn't be scared about it."_

_Flor swayed her head back and forth for a second._

_"Um... It didn't work."_

_The adult Flor smiled._

_"I kind of had a feeling it wouldn't, especially with what had happened."_

_The young chick's eyes widened._

_"Huh? What happened?"_

_The adult Flor sighed._

_"...I guess it's important for you to know. As your father and mother chatted with me, my past boyfriend interrupted us. Things got out of hand, and your mother and father got into a fight that torn them apart for that night. As your mother tried to find your father, she was captured by an eagle named Delores. At the time, I didn't know who captured your mother, but I soon found out after following your father to make sure he was safe."_

_"An eagle named Delores? Was she that bad?"_

_Adult Flor nodded._

_"She wanted to eat them."_

_Young Flor gasped._

_"W-What?! That's... Oh, I'm going to have nightmares... Is she...still alive?"_

_"You have nothing to fear about her. Like me, she's dead."_

_"Oh. That's good I..."_

_Young Flor abruptly stopped talking and looked up at the older Flor with a more serious and cautious face._

_"Like you? Flor, you're dead?"_

_Adult Flor simply nodded. Young Flor flinched in fear and took a step back as her feet trembled. Adult Flor smiled._

_"Don't worry. I'm a friendly ghost."_

_"Like Casper?"_

_"Um... I don't know who that is, but yes...I think. Besides Flor, I was friends with your mother and father...and I think I would've been considered like a likeable aunt if I was still alive."_

_Young Flor gulped and studied the face of adult Flor. It seemed sincere. Young Flor stood still and faced the Hyacinth Macaw with no fear._

_"I think...I can trust you."_

_Adult Flor smiled._

_"Are you a Spix's Macaw like me?"_

_"No. I'm a Hyacinth Macaw."_

_"But you look like Mommy and Daddy, but you have that yellow make-up around your eyes."_

_"Yellow make-up?" adult Flor wondered as she touched the feathers around her left eye with a wing. "Oh, this is my yellow skin."_

_Adult Flor dropped her wing and smiled._

_"You know, you remind me of your father. Always full of questions."_

_There was a moment of silence before young Flor opened her beak._

_"Um...you said you were helping Daddy with surviving in the jungle?"_

_Adult Flor nodded._

_"I tried to teach him about how to survive in the jungle: how to look and pick the right foods, how to fight, how to find the right den, and saved both your mother's and father's lives. Well, your father's life twice."_

_Young Flor took in what the older Flor said. Though her father seemed uneasy about living in the jungle, he did manage to find food and shelter easily. He found a sweet mango, the best one she ever tasted, and the den for the family. _

_"So...are you a teacher?"_

_"...I guess."_

_Young Flor smiled with hope in her eyes._

_"Then you can teach me how to fly."_

_"How to fly?"_

_Young Flor looked down at the ground._

_"Yeah. I want...I want to know how to fly. I...can't."_

_Young Flor swiftly faced adult Flor with pleading eyes._

_"Could you...show me how?"_

_Adult Flor slightly grinned._

_"Flor, you must understand that flying is different for each and every bird. Only time will tell when you can fly."_

_"But why did you help Daddy? If you helped him, you can help me."_

_"I know you are eager to fly, but I promise that the perfect time will come when you will fly, and you'll be very proud...not only in learning how to fly."_

_Young Flor looked down and pouted._

_"But that what Mommy said to me. She promised that I would fly soon, but I haven't yet. Why did you help Daddy? Can't you help me too?"_

_"It is different, Flor. I was making sure your father was ready."_

_"Ready for what? The jungle?"_

_Adult Flor smirked._

_"That's only half of it... Flor, that eagle I told you about; Delores... I know her as the enemy."_

_"But she was a bad bird. You just told me she tried to eat Mommy and Daddy."_

_"Not only that, Flor... Things don't seem as they appear. When I met your father, I had good reasons to befriend him. I was lonely and heartbroken, and I just needed someone in my life. I met your father out of coincidence, but after realizing he was with your mother, he was wise and considerate and careful, and that he was a city bird about to live in the jungle, I knew I had to help, not only for his benefit, but for mine as well."_

_"...I'm confused. For your benefit as well?"_

_Adult Flor nodded._

_"That eagle, Delores, was part of a group that my group fought against a few years ago."_

_"A group? Like a club?"_

_"A club seems too friendly of a term, Flor. It was an order. For now, it's too complicated to explain. You're just a chick. You can't understand."_

_Young Flor narrowed her eyes slightly and stood proudly._

_"I can."_

_Adult Flor smiled and patted the young chick on her head gently._

_"When you become old enough, I will tell you. Just be aware of things that don't feel right. As your guardian angel, I will always look out for you, Flor. We will meet again when the time comes."_

_Adult Flor began to fade away. Young Flor watched as the Hyacinth Macaw faded from her view, confused as to what was a guardian angel._

Flor eyes sprung wide open. She pushed herself off the wooden floor and sat up. She looked around. Her family was still resting. Joseph and Xavier were close to her, cuddling for warmth in a brotherly way, and her parents were only a foot away from them, snuggling with each other. She looked outside and noticed she had awoken earlier than the sun...only by a tad bit. She stretched out her wings and stood up, remembering her dream.

I guess it was a dream...but it didn't make any sense. Why would I dream about a macaw I don't know about? Am I...am I going crazy? ...I need some fresh air.

Flor looked out towards the entrance and made her way out of the den. She walked halfway across the branch and stopped. She looked at the jungle as the rising sun slowly lifted the shadows away. She then briefly glanced down at the jungle floor. There was mostly dirt with some grass and shrubs. A breeze tickled her feathers. She looked forward and narrow her eyes.

"When the time comes," she whispered to herself.

She opened her wings and flapped them up and down without jumping off of the branch.

"My time is now."

She jumped off the branch, still flapping her wings. One flap...two flap...three flap...f-f-four fl-lap...f... She soon lost the ability to stay aloft and fell to the ground. She did not hit any branches on the way down, but a shrub cushioned her fall.

"UMPH!"

She crawled out of the leafed shrub and got to her feet to brush the dust off her feathers. She looked up at the den and sighed heavily with teary eyes. She then looked down at the ground. Tears splashed on the dirt.

"I can't. I can't do it. I...failed again..like always. The jungle is home to macaws and other birds who can fly. I...can't fly. I...don't belong here. It was...a mistake. Sorry...Mommy and Daddy. I'm going to where a flightless bird like me belongs; away from the jungle."

With that said, she turned around and looked at the path ahead of her. Thinking of where the city of Rio might be, she headed in that direction.


	11. Lost

Blu's eyes spring wide-open the next morning as a deafening scream echoed in the den. He quickly sat up and looked to the left and to the right of where the scream came from. He saw just the empty den and his two boys, who had woken up and were looking aat something with glossy eyes. Blu slowly turned around to see the crying face of Jewel. He prompted himself on his feet and faced his mate.

"Jewel, what's wrong?" he asked in a caring voice.

"You looked at our chicks but didn't see."

Blu looked back at his chicks. Joseph stood petrified as Xavier yawned. Flor was...was... Blu turned back to Jewel with a questioning face.

"Where's Flor?"

"Blu," she sniffed, "she's gone."

Blu took in what his mate said. Flor was gone, but not all hope for this blue macaw was lost.

"Did she say anything last night?"

"Well, we just talked about how she wanted to fly."

Blu closed his eyes for a second, trying to remember. He opened them.

"Jewel, I always thought Flor had several of my traits, including logic and rejection. I think...she ran away during the night. Something must've made her confused on that she'll never fly."

"So what does that have to do with Flor missing."

"... She's just trying to place herself where she logically think where she belongs... Remember when we were once free, and you flew expressing your freedom as I watched from the ground. Logic told me that we were not meant to be since I couldn't fly. I was just going back to where I belonged, and that was back in Moose Lake with Linda."

"So she might be going where she belongs? But where does she think she belongs?"

Blu thought about it. Memories of the past soon came back. He remembered when he himself was flightless and chained together with Jewel. After they got out in a kind-of gross way, Jewel quickly took to the skies. He remembered just watching them and feeling like an outcast. A macaw who could not fly... He did not belong there, in the wild, or in Rio. He only knew of one place where he belonged and that was with Linda back in Moose Lake. Blu looked up at his mate.

"I think...she went back to the bird sanctuary."

"... Why? She doesn't belong there."

"If she's like her father then she will be there."

"But Blu, that's too far of a walk. Plus, she doesn't know the jungle well. She could get lost."

"... There's that possibility too."

Blu thought about it some more.

"We can always split up into two groups. Here, I'll take the boys to Rafael, and you go to Rio to see if she did get back to the city."

Jewel nodded.

"If you can, ask friends to help you. I will did the same."

She leaned over to Blu and gave him a quick kiss. She moved away and sighed.

"I hope we can find her."

Jewel turned around and flew out the den. Blu just watched her go, hoping the safety of not only their daughter, but the safety as Jewel as well. He looked back at his boys, who had heard the conversation.

""Alright, sons. I'll dropping you off at Rafael's."

"Rafael's?" questioned Xavier. "Who's that?"

"Remember that toucan who flew with you yesterday?"

Xavier's face soon beamed.

"We're going to hang out with Miguel. Oooooo, that'll be fun. He was fun to play with."

He took a glance at his brother.

"Wouldn't that be fun, Joseph?"

Joseph did not reply and just looked at his father.

"Papa, I want to help too."

"Joseph."

"C'mon, Papa. Two birds are better than one."

Blu smiled and shook his head.

"Yes, but if you go, not only I will have to look for your sister, but I would also have to make sure you're safe."

Joseph pouted.

"You treat me like a little kid."

Blu just laid a wing on Joseph's head.

"When you grow up, you'll be a great bird. For now, just listen, Son."

Blu moved his wing away as Joseph crossed his wings. Xavier looked from Joseph to Blu and scratched the back of his head.

"Papa...is something serious happening?"

He looked around and soon realized something.

"Where's...where's Flor?"

Blu looked back at Xavier and smiled.

"I'll tell you later. For now, let's go to Rafael's."

Blu turned around and slowly flew out of the den. Xavier followed his father outside. Joseph sighed and soon joined the two on their way to Rafael's den.

* * *

Somewhere in the mist of the thick jungle was a den, belonging to a family of four Scarlet Macaws. The father of this family walked out to the branch and stretched his wings out. The sun had risen only fifteen minutes ago. The sun's light penetrated through the trees as if they were tiny flashlights shining through the gaps between the leaves and branches. The blue-eyed macaw breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

"Ah, another bright day-y... Ow."

A seed bounced off of the back of his head and fell to the ground. The macaw rubbed the back of his head and turned towards the den. His two chicks were facing him with innocent faces. The green-eyed female chick pointed at her brother to her left.

"It was George's fault."

The hazel-eyed male narrowed his eyes at his sister.

"I did not, Jocelyn. You did."

"Nah-uh."

"Yea-uh."

"Nah-uh."

"Yeah-uj."

"Nah- "

"Kids!" snapped their brown-eyed mother. "Stop arguing. Both of you, apologize to your dad."

Both chicks, not wanting to upset their mother, faced their father.

"Sorry, Papa," they chorused.

"Are you okay, Alex?"

"Yeah... You know, I could always bring vegetable instead of fruit."

The boy fringed at the word, but the girl thought about it.

"Then can you bring back a tomato."

George faced Jocelyn with a confused face.

"But...tomato isn't a vegetable."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

The father and mother sighed.

"I'll be back, Dear," said Alex.

He turned around and mumbled to himself, "What hit me anyways?"

The Scarlet Macaw looked down. He found the papaya seed that hit him; it was the only black dot in a brown-colored ground with green patches. Alex soon noticed the object standing in front of the seed and looking back up at him. He realized it to be a blue macaw chick. He smiled as the chick gave him a confused look.

"Hi," Alex said and waved at the chick.

The blue macaw took a step back and did not reply. The Scarlet Macaw slightly dropped his smile.

"Are you out here alone?"

The chick did not reply.

"Can you talk?"

"Yea-yeah, I can talk. My papa just said not to talk to strangers."

"Oh. Well, your papa is right. But let's not be strangers."

"... But how can we? You look strange to me."

Alex was stunned by this.

"What do you mean? Have you never seen a Scarlet Macaw?"

"Um... Not really. I didn't see the hurt birds in the sanctuary that much."

"The bird sanctuary? In Rio?"

The blue macaw nodded.

"Besides, um, where is your papa?"

The blue macaw shook her head.

"He's not here."

Alex thought about what the chick said and sighed. He bowed his head in respect.

"I'm sorry."

The chick looked at him in bewilderment.

"You're sorry... Oh, you though..."

The chick narrowed her eyes.

"My papa isn't dead."

The Scarlet Macaw rubbed the back of his head and smiled nervously.

"Sorry. So...what are you doing out here alone? What happened?"

"That's none of your business."

Alex was taken by the chick's response.

"I'm sorry, but if I was your father, I would be concerned about you."

The chick's expression lightened, and she looked down. She sighed.

"Did you run away?"

"I...um..."

Alex just looked at her intensely. The chick could not find the heart to lie to this concerned. She sighed and nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I don't belong in the jungle."

"But you look like you do."

The blue macaw shook her head.

"No. I don't."

She put her wing on her chest.

"I'm a Spix's Macaw, but I can't fly."

"You can't fly?"

The chick slowly nodded. Alex knew what he had to do though. He smiled.

"What's your name?"

"Flor."

The Scarlet Macaw pointed a wingtip at himself.

"I'm Alex."

There was a silent pause before Alex spoke again.

"Are you hungry, Flor?"

Flor nodded with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Then let's go inside. I'll introduce you to my family."

Flor looked up at where the den was and then faced Alex.

"Are you going to carry me like Papa? Are you strong?"

Alex smiled.

"Here. Get on my back and hold onto my feathers."

Alex crouched down, so Flor could get on. She did, and Alex took her inside his den to meet his 'normal' family.


	12. Family

"Papa, where's food?"

"Be patient. I'll go get some now."

"But my tummy is gurgling."

"I'll be back."

The Toco Toucan looked up from his son to his mate.

"Eva, how much do I bring this time?"

"What do you plan on getting?" asked the Keel-Billed Toucan.

"I was thinking papaya."

Eva looked around the den. Only one of her chicks was awake. It was the one talking to her mate right now. The other ten older chicks were still asleep. Luckily, the other seven chicks have been kicked ou...left the nest because they had reached maturity. Still, it was more than a handful for the toucan couple to turn their children into mature adults.

"I think about five," said Eva.

The chick who was awake, who was also the youngest, looked up at his father with pleading eyes.

"Can you bring me one just for me?"

The male toucan shook his head.

"No, Miguel. You won't be able to finish it. You have to share with your brothers and sisters."

"But Papa, I'm so hungry. I can finish one by myself."

"You may think you're that hungry, but once you eat, you will only be able to eat half of it."

Miguel crossed his wings and pouted.

"But I can eat one by myself."

The male toucan was about to say something, but his

"Rafael, I'll talk to him. Just go get breakfast before the other chicks wake up."

Rafael nodded and exited the den. Rafael, only gripping on the thin, wooden entrance of the den with his feet, opened his wings and took off. As he flew, the morning breeze slightly pressed on him. This proved to be no obstacle for him. The sun lighted the path ahead of him visible. He soared through the trees and found the tree he searched for. He would usually come here for papayas. It was just a random tree in the middle of the jungle with no significant value to him. It was just the closest papaya tree to his den. He smiled and landed on a branch. He looked at the fruit on the tree and started to choose the better fruit with his brown eyes.

"There's a good one," he whispered to himself.

He flew up a little to reach the stem of the papaya and clipped it off with his beak. He caught the papaya's stem with his feet and slowly set it down on the branch. He then landed on the branch as well.

"One's down...um... Was it five or six?"

"Rafael?"

He looked around to see where that voice came from. He turned around and saw three blue macaws land on the branch he perched on. He greeted them with a smile and an excited voice.

"Hey, Blu!" he said excitedly, slightly extending his right wing up to the air like if he was going to wave at the blue macaw.

"Hi, Rafael," said Blu. "Um...I need your help."

Rafael dropped his smile and put his wing back to his side.

"Did something serious happen?"

"I was wondering if you could help me look for Flor. She's missing."

"Missing?"

"Yeah. We didn't find her in the den this morning. I think she ran away."

"Why would she do that? Was there something that upset her?"

"Well, yeah. She was mad she couldn't fly so she-"

"Can't fly? So she's walking?"

Blu nodded.

"Ai Dios! This is bad. It's dangerous to walk on the ground, especially chicks."

"Jewel is already looking for her in Rio. I'm looking for her in the jungle. I was wondering if we could help me with finding her in the jungle...if she hadn't already made it to Rio."

"Sure," said Rafael, and then he looked back to see the papaya. "Not to be rude, but I got to take...five papayas back to the nest."

"Can I join your family for breakfast?" Xavier asked Rafael as the blue macaw chick took a step forward. "Papa forgot to feed us."

Blu half-closed his eyes.

"I did not forget."

Rafael smiled.

"Don't worry, my little blue friend. You can join us for breakfast."

Xavier beamed.

"At least someone cares about me eating."

Blu sighed and looked over at Rafael. The toucan rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

"Here. I'll help you, Rafael. I was going to see Eva and you anyway."

"Blu, I'll be glad to help, but if I'm gone, Eva needs to watch the chicks. We both can't leave them."

Blu shook his head.

"I was just going to ask if she would mind watching Xavier and Joseph for me as we look for Flor."

* * *

Flor leaned over and took her final gnaw of the soft caqui. At first, the female Scarlet macaw chick named Jocelyn that it was a tomato. Even Flor saw it as a tomato not ripped. However, both were proven wrong when they bit into this delicious fruit. She shared her fruit with Jocelyn and the male chick George. Flor looked to her side and saw Alex, the father Scarlet Macaw, greedily eating his fruit as his slightly different colored pattern mate ate slowly, savoring the fruit. Flor took a few steps towards them and confronted them.

"Thank you for the fruit. I need to start going."

Alex and his mate both stopped eating and looked at Flor.

"But Dear, you can't be out there by yourself," said the female Scarlet Macaw. "It's too dangerous."

"But I need to get to the bird sanctuary," she said, and then she loudly whispered, "I don't belong here."

Alex looked at her curiously.

"Why would you think you don't belong? "

"Because I can't fly."

Alex slightly smiled.

"Flor, just because you can't fly doesn't mean you don't belong here."

"But every bird in the whole jungle can fly... Well, either my age or older."

"Hey George," said Jocelyn, taking a break from eating and looking at her brother. "You two belong together."

The young male macaw shot a cold look at his sister with his hazel eyes.

"Sh-Shut up."

"George!" snapped his mother. "Be nice to your sister."

"But she started it."

George watched as Jocelyn just grinned at him.

"I know," said the mother.

Jocelyn's smile dropped, now knowing that she would get scolded at later on.

Flor just looked at the two birds. Her eyes seemed to focus more on George than Jocelyn. The way his sister teased him and how he reacted made it appear that George could not fly. George noticed Flor looking at him and slightly tilted his head the other way, faintly blushing in embarrassment.

"Um...George, you can't fly?"

George slowly turned his head towards Flor. He looked at her with a guilty face. He shook his head.

"I tried and tried, but no. Jocelyn did on her first time, but I...fell off the tree."

"So you're like me. I can't fly too. My brothers can, but I can't."

"Really?"

Flor nodded.

"Yeah. All birds fly in the jungle except for us. You need flying to survival in the jungle...at least that's what my daddy says."

"...So where do birds when they can't fly? If your papa said you need it to survive in the jungle, where do you go?"

Flor grinned widely.

"That's easy. The sanctuary."

"The sanc-u-air-ie?"

"The sanctuary is a wonderful place where you are not judged if you can fly or not. It has places to sleep, served food, and the people there are nice."

"There are people there too?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. They take care of you when you're sick, have a broken wing, or feel sad. The bird sanctuary is the perfect place for flightless birds."

George looked down, thinking.

"Plus, there's a T.V. and a computer," bribed Flor.

After a few seconds of thinking, George looked up at Flor and smiled.

"Thanks, but if I leave, my family will miss me. Even though I can't fly, that doesn't mean I don't belong with my family. If they live out in the jungle, I will too. I need them as much as they need me. Someday, I will grow up and be able to live somewhere else and start my own family, but that's not right now. Besides, just because I can't fly now, doesn't mean anything, to me and my family. I will fly one day, and my family will be so proud of me. I will be happy as long as my family is there."

Flor was about to reply, but she remained still. George, a bird who could not fly, decided to stay in the jungle not because he could not fly, but because of his family. The Scarlet Macaw mother with blue eyes came up behind her son and put her wings on his shoulders. He looked up at his mother's smiling face and smiled back. Flor watched them, realizing now because of her actions, her family was worrying about her. She sighed and looked down.

"Flor?" came Alex's semi-deep voice from behind her.

Flor looked up and turned around to face him.

"Would you like to go back to your family?"

Flor slowly looked back at George. His mother was hugging him as Jocelyn was petting him, laughing. He just faced his sister with a smile. Flor faced back at Alex.

"Yes."


	13. Little Monkey

"So, you joined the Order too?"

The tall bird with a black cloth over him nodded.

"I will be aiding you from now on."

The clothed assassin showed a bit of concern.

"But...just no. I was going to get the other assassin."

"Master's messenger said that they wanted me to help you," said the deep-voiced bird. "I can't disobey the Order. Since I've been spying them, I know their strengths and weaknesses. These are dangerous birds, so we have to be cautious. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Danger? These are just blue macaws they are talking about."

"Don't let their looks deceive you. Remember, they killed Delores. As far as we are concerned, they are a threat to the Order."

The assassin huffed.

"Fine, but you have to listen to me. Though we are together, I'm still in charge."

The black-clothed, taller male nodded.

"Of course...and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you."

The assassin smiled.

"And I love you too."

They came together and kissed under the black hoods covering their faces in the shadows.

* * *

Joseph, Xavier, and Miguel were outside of Rafael's den, sharing a papaya with each other. It seemed there was no room in the den. Wit"h three adult birds and some ten chicks, it felt like an overcrowded bedroom. Plus, Xavier claimed he was cluster-phobic. Blu, not wanting to start an argument now, agreed that him and Joseph should then eat on the closest branch to the den's entrance. Miguel joined them to chat. Being the youngest of his family sucked. At least with Joseph and Xavier, he could talk to them since they were very close to his age. Miguel swallowed his piece of papaya and looked at Joseph.

"Where's your sister? Um, Flor?"

Joseph sighed.

"She's missing."

"... Like gone?"

Joseph nodded. Miguel looked down at the bottom of the papaya and thought to himself. He smiled and looked back up at Joseph.

"We can all fly. Why don't we do something? The adults are all talking and not doing anything."

Joseph shook his head.

"No. The jungle is too dangerous."

"My papa said only if you're walking," pointed out Miguel, "but we'll be flying."

"Yeah, but Flor is walking. If we do find her, we will have to land and walk her home."

"Walking? I thought she said she could fly. She just had a sprain wing."

Xavier swallowed his piece of papaya and smugly faced Miguel.

"She lied to you."

Miguel turned to his left to face Xavier, who was at the opposite end of the papaya from his brother.

"Why would she do that?"

Xavier shrugged.

"I guess she was too embarrassed that we were all flying and having fun."

"She's been trying and trying and trying," explained Joseph. "She just can't do it."

"Yeah. It's so big that Joseph and me have a bet."

Joseph peeked over from his side of the long end of the papaya and narrowed his eyes.

"We never bet on anything."

Xavier looked at his brother.

"Well, I wanted to. I was going to bet that Flor couldn't fly even after two years. I was going to give you some cookies if you won, but-"

"Just stop it, Xavier! All you want to do is play. Don't you even care Flor is missing?"

"I...I do...but I know we'll find her. That's why I'm not that worried."

"But what if we don't?"

Xavier shrugged.

"Then we don't. Only the strong survive. That's what Disney taught me."

"Xavier, that's primitive thinking."

"Pri-mi-tive? ...Oh, yeah. Papa said it was not straight thinking... Wait a minute! I'm not gay thinking!"

Joseph wing-palmed his forehead and left his wing there as he shook his head.

"Dios, ayudar a esta guacamaya."

Xavier narrowed his blue eyes.

"Help? I don't need help."

"Yes, you do. You take every serious matter as a game."

"No, I don't. Besides, this is the only serious matter."

"It doesn't matter! You're goofing off while Flor is out there all alone."

Xavier stood silent. His brother was right. Flor was gone, and he made it seem he could care less. However, he was not going to be soft. Pride told him to not back down. He just huffed, turned around, and crossed his wings.

"You're no fun."

Joseph wanted to tell off his brother, but there was no point. He just narrowed his eyes and continued eating. As for Miguel, the toucan chick felt the uneasy presence coming off of them both and nervously looked at Joseph.

"I'm...going to go inside."

Miguel quickly took off and swiftly entered the den.

Silence surrounded the two blue brothers until laughter and joy were heard. The first to hear this was Xavier. He looked down to the jungle floor. Dancing across the tan, soft ground in a line were little monkeys called marmosets. The leader in front were sunglasses and a toy, blue tuxedo jacket as the other monkeys behind him wore from jewelry to toy clothes or just carried something. The ones not carrying anything followed their leader's dance moves as those who did carry something swung their hips from side-to-side. The ones not carrying stuff stood straight as they lightly hopped forward as they orbited their fists around each other. The monkey at the back of the line carried a small boom box. The boom box was playing a karaoke version of Gangnum Style by Psy. The leader with the tuxedo jacket and sunglasses would sing the speaking sentences as the other monkeys provided the chorus of sound effects.

_"Hey! Little monkey!" _sung the leader.

_"Ooo ooo oo oo-oo ah-ee!" _chorused the other monkeys.

_:"Wanna par-ty?!"_

_"Ooo ooo oo-oo ah-ee!"_

_"This is Ri-o!"_

_"Ooo ooo oo-oo ah-ee!"_

_"So let's sam-ba!"_

Xavier and Joseph watched as the marmosets dancing in the line as they moved forward. Joseph shrugged and looked over at Xavier. His slightly smaller brother began to sway his hips and smile as he left his mouth open.

"They seem like fun."

Xavier opened his wings.

"Xavier, you better not..."

Xavier took off of the branch and joined the end of the line. The marmosets, so into the music, did not noticed a chick was tailing them. Soon, Xavier began to copy the leader's moves. He did not sing because he did not know the words. Joseph watched as his brother slowly danced away from Rafael's den.

"Um, Papa?" he called, not talking his eyes of Xavier and just standing still. "Papa!"

All he heard was Blu's voice said, "Xavier, don't start!"

Joseph turned his head around towards the entrance of the den. He could not see inside the den, but he could see whoever stuck his or her head out.

"But Papa..."

"Joseph, I can't always help you deal with Xavier. Flor is missing, and Rafael and I are talking about where to go."

"But Papa, this is important!"

"What!" he said, a little annoyed and stuck his head out of the den and looked at Joseph. "What could be more important than finding your sister?"

"Xavier joining a group of little monkeys and dancing away."

Blu narrowed his eyes.

"Joseph, this is no time for jokes."

"I'm not joking."

Blu sighed. He then noticed that Xavier was really gone.

"Um, where's your brother?"

Joseph just calmly pointed towards the ground. off in the distance. Blu tried to see where his eldest son pointed. He saw a line of marmosets disappearing behind a tree in the distance. He also saw a dancing Xavier disappearing behind the tree with the little monkeys. His amber eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, cheese and sprinkles."

He looked back at Joseph. He nervously smiled at his son for a brief moment and zoomed off without saying a word to Rafael or Eva. Rafael and Eva looked out their den as the blue macaw father frantically flew out towards the jungle. Rafael and Eva looked dumbstruck. They turned towards Joseph, who just stood on the branch, watching his father fly away.

"What happened?" Rafael asked Joseph. "Where did your papa go?"

Joseph calmly turned towards them, took a deep breath, and said, "He went to go save my brother from the circus."


	14. Monkey Hear

"Well, bye everyone, and thank you."

Jocelyn smiled and waved at Flor.

"I hope we see each other again. When you learn how to fly, you need to come visit. And when George learns to fly, we can visit you."

George slightly blushed in embarrassment. Flor smiled and turned to face Alex as he stood on the branch of their tree.

"Ready to go?"

Flor looked out at the jungle. The sun was at its two p.m. position during the summer. The wind slightly pushed the leaves of trees. The activity in the jungle seemed settled. Flor faced back at Alex.

"Yes. Um..."

She pointed southeast.

"I think if we go that way, we will see my family's den."

Alex nodded.

"Alright. Then let's go."

The Scarlet Macaw father flew over Flor and grabbed her gently with his feet.

"Are you fine?"

"Yes."

Alex looked over at his family, who was standing behind the entrance of the den and looking out at Alex and Flor.

"Be safe, Dear," said the Scarlet Macaw mother. "The both of you."

"I'll be back before dinner," Alex said with a smile.

He flapped his wings and took off, heading to where Flor thought her family's den was.

* * *

The marmosets with Xavier following them had arrived to the spot where their gang usually met. A few other marmosets were there, all in front of their leader's vision. Speaking of their leader, Mauro, he sat on a throne made of stuff they stole from walking tourists. He was fanned by clumsy marmoset that used a jumbo leaf. Unlike the other gray, brown-eyed marmosets that were his gang, he was a brown-furred, green-eyed marmoset that had extra white fur coming out of his scalp that had a paperclip holding it like a wheat bundle that had been tied in the middle of it. Like his comrades, his tail was black-striped and had white fur coming out of his left and right sides. He wore a gold-colored bracelet that was obviously too big for his skinny arms around his left arm and a golden chain around his neck. He looked at the marmosets coming in and noticed the blue macaw chick. He gently pushed the marmoset fanning him aside, accidentally knocking him off the rock with a tiny surface area he had been standing on.

"What do we have here?" asked Mauro to himself.

He hopped off the wooden throne he sat on and confronted the marmosets who had arrived. In fear, they slowly moved out of his way as he walked towards Xavier. The blue macaw chick, about over half the height of Mauro stood strong and looked at the monkey's eyes.

"Mmm... A blue macaw. It looks like a chick."

"I'm not a chick."

"Well, you can't be an adult, cause then you'll be a midget."

Mauro laughed and then his henchmen laughed. After a few seconds, he abruptly stopped and put his hand in the air. The other marmosets then quieted down. Mauro put his hand back down and smirked at Xavier.

"What are you doing here?"

Irritated, Xavier replied, "Nothing, Donkey Kong Jr. Jr. I was just having fun. You guys seem fun, but then you have to be a party pooper like my papa and mama."

The henchmen gasped as they saw their leader's expression changed. They slowly took a step back in fear of Mauro's rage. Mauro narrowed his eyes at Xavier and shook his tiny fists as if he was trying to control his anger. Xavier, of course, made things worse.

"Look, if you're mad, slam the ground with your tiny hands and see if you can shake the area around you...if you can with those scrawny things."

"That's it!"

He sharply lifted his head up and faced his henchmen.

"Monkeys, get me the rope."

The henchmen looked at each other and then faced Mauro. The closest marmoset near him took three steps towards him.

"But Sir, what about the swing?"

The marmoset pointed to an object hanging off a branch of a tree. The only rope the clan had was used to attach the tree branch to a small bicycle tire that was used as a swing. A marmoset was using the tire swing as Mauro had confronted Xavier.

"Take it down, and tie this little macaw up."

The marmosets dropped their heads and sighed, "Aaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww..."

Xavier looked at the tire swing and smiled.

"I want to go on that thing," he said, pointing at the swing.

Mauro grinned and clamped his hands together.

"We can arrange that."

Xavier smiled.

"That's good. Papa would never let me go on."

Mauro raised an eyebrow.

"Papa? Wait. You have a father?"

Xavier nodded.

"He's a blue macaw like me, but he's fat, not cool, and really clumsy."

The marmosets soon noticed something land behind Xavier and started to approach him. The monkeys' eyes widened.

"He doesn't let me do anything. He's a party pooper...and kind of weird. Sometimes, I think how my papa tricked my mama. She's like Angelina Jolie, and he's like Billy Bob Thornton...before the divorce. I know, because the first time I saw this movie Tomb Raider on the DVD player, I liked her and found out the character's real name was Angelina Jolie. Checked what other movies she was in, because I thought she was cool, but then I saw Billy Bob and...yeah."

"So, I'm Billy Bob Thornton?"

"No...um...whoever said that. My Papa is... Wait. Who said that?"

All the marmosets, except for Mauro, pointed behind Xavier. Xavier slowly turned around and saw a blue, feathery belly. He gulped and looked up to see Blu's narrowing eyes looking down at him. Xavier nervously smiled.

"Hi Papa. When did you get here?"

"Long enough... Oh, good rant by the way. You sounded like me. You know, your fat, dull, clumsy father."

Xavier dropped his head and his slight smile. He looked up at Blu with puppy eyes and asked in a tender voice.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Big trouble, and those puppy eyes don't work."

"What if I cry?"

Blu sighed and rolled his eyes. He grabbed Xavier's right wing.

"We'll talk more with your mother."

"How about a cookie?" asked Xavier as he was pulled by Blu. "Or a book? Hot chocolate?"

Mauro studied the older macaw more and finally realized who it was. He hurried ran in front of Blu and looked up at him.

"Hold on. I remember you. You're that blue macaw Nigel wanted us to get."

Blu stood stiff as marmosets suddenly surrounded him and Xavier. They seemed to be preparing to attack, but Mauro's voice stopped them.

"At ease."

The marmosets looked at each other, confused. They looked back at Mauro.

"That day...so painful."

"Oh, sorry about that, but you have to understand that we were protecting ourselves."

Mauro nodded.

"I do. Any group or family out here in the jungle knows that. I'm just surprised to see you still alive."

Blu curiously looked at Mauro.

"What do you mean by that?"

* * *

Jewel walked under the pier along the beach to see if Flor was hiding there. She thought that if Flor was on the beach, the commotion of people would probably scare her and make her hide under the wooden pier. She looked up at the wooden support beams of the pier and shook her head.

"No," she whispered to herself, looking forward. "She wouldn't be there. It's too high. As she continued to walk, she saw in the sand something craved. She approached it, still under the pier, and saw the one-word message.

"Bye?"

All of a sudden, she felt something push her down on the sand and hit the back of her head with something sturdy. The world around Jewel blackened, and a chilling voice was the last thing she heard.

"You and your boyfriend should've never come to the jungle."


	15. Direction

Getting worried about his friend, Rafael had left his den and was trying to find Blu. Joseph wanted to come too, but Rafael and Eva quickly stated that he should stay out of danger. Though Joseph did not agree, he followed his babysitters' orders. Rafael flew through the jungle on this blissful afternoon. It was not too hot, but it also was not to cold. It was just right. Now, for a reptile, it would be a little chilly. The jungle's floor had no snakes slithering across the dirt ground. Insects seemed prominent, but there were a few mammals making their way across the jungle floor. Squawks and chirps from other birds would echo in the jungle, assuring Rafael the safety of the jungle. The frequency of these bird sounds told him that there was no danger in the area.

Rafael continued to fly north until he saw what he was looking for. Looking in all directions from where he flew, he noticed something blue on the ground. He squinted his eyes and saw that it was a father macaw and his chick. He knew them as Blu and his son Xavier. It seemed Blu was dragging his cross-winged son across the ground, looking in opposite directions. Rafael slightly grinned and landed in front of his blue friend.

"Here you are."

Blu stopped walking.

"Oh. Hey, Rafael."

"You were gone for quite a while my friend."

"Well...yes. I did find Xavier."

"I can see that, but why aren't you flying?"

"...He didn't come on his own free will."

Xavier pouted, "Papa didn't let me go on the swing."

"Swing?" wondered Rafael.

Xavier turned around to face Rafael and nodded.

"The little monkeys had this swing. It seemed like fun, and they were going to let me on it, but Papa said no."

Xavier looked away from Rafael and just looked out into the jungle.

"Papa's so unfair."

Blu sighed and looked back at his son.

"Xavier, what did we say about talking to strangers?"

"They didn't seem strange, at least for a monkey. I wanted to swing."

"Xavier, have you've forgotten your sister is missing?" asked Blu in a caring voice.

There was a moment of silence before Xavier answered.

"No," he grumbled.

"So, what do you think is more important now? I know this doesn't make sense to you, but we're not sure if we'll ever see her again."

"But she ran away. It's not like she'll be gone forever. We'll find her."

Blu's eyes shot wide open. He let go of his son and completely turned around and faced him. Xavier did not move to look at his father.

"Because," Xavier continued, "isn't this like a story? In those cartoons or movies, a person goes missing, but they always seem to find their way home."

"But those are stories. Some stories, like those stories, are make-believe, but sadly, this story is real."

Blu's eyes slowly turned glossy.

"There is a chance that this story will not be like the stories you've read or the movies you've watched. Your sister Flor can..."

Blu could not finish. He did not want to put in the thought of what could happen to his only daughter. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes lightly with his wing. He focused on his son, who looked up at him with guilt. Blu had never shed a tear in front of Xavier.

"Papa...are you crying because of what I said?"

Blu shook his head.

"No, son," he said contently.

"...Are you lying?" Xavier asked in a quiet voice.

"Xavier, you misunderstand. When you become older, you will see what an adult goes through."

"But-"

Just then, a Blue-cheeked Amazon with purplish eyes landed a few feet behind Rafael. Xavier, who had been looking at Blu, was the only one who saw her. He smiled.

"Papa, it's the pretty bird."

Rafael was confused by what Xavier meant, but Blu understood, though Xavier had only made the comment once before. Well, actually, he remembered it because both him and his son had to listening to Jewel's lectures of why Blu had not brought up this other bird and why Xavier thought she was prettier. Rafael turned around as soon as he noticed his blue friend was looking behind him. Rafael then saw an amazon approaching him. It walked by him and confronted Blu. She did not gave Blu a humble look. Her face seemed troubled.

"Hi Bela," said Blu.

"Hi," she blankly said.

"Um... Is there something bothering you?"

"Well, I went to go visit my friend today. As we talked, she told me that her mate found a blue chick. She said the chick's name was Flor. Well, I only know your Flor. I told her that and how Flor belonged to you. I asked her where he mate was, but she didn't know. I excused myself and flew around a bit. Luckily, I found you."

"...So you already know what's going on?"

Bela nodded.

"And I want to help."

Blu smiled.

"That's great."

Bela returned the smile and then looked around. Her smile dropped as she looked around. She looked back at Blu.

"Where's Jewel?"

"She went to Rio to look for Flor."

"Did she go by herself?"

Blu nodded. Bela huffed and slapped Blu across the face.

"Ow," he said, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"Blu, there's one thing you shouldn't do and that's to let your mate go alone. Why didn't you get someone to go with her, or you should've gone with her."

"Miss," said Rafael, "I would be more concerned about Blu going alone than Jewel going alone."

Blu half-closed his eyes and stared at Rafael. He then looked back at Flor.

"Jewel is a very independent bird. She can protect herself. I mean, look at you. You're alone out here in the jungle, yet nothing has happened to you."

Bela calmed down.

"I guess you're right. I just didn't know she was that strong of a bird."

Blu smiled.

"Good."

He faced Rafael.

"Hey, Rafael, could you take Xavier back to Eva."

"Sur-"

"No Papa. I want to help too."

"No. I need you to stay with Eva."

"But I want to help. That way, we can have teams. You can go with Rafael, and I can go with Bela."

Blu groaned.

"I promise I'll be extra good."

"But-"

Rafael walked up to Blu and whispered in his ear hole.

"Blu, you should probably let him. He seems more behaved behind her. Plus, Eva already have our chicks and Joseph to look after... No offense, my dear friend, but if you let Xavier stay with Eva, I might have to help her."

Blu looked at his son's smiling face and then looked back at Bela. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Bela, do you mind if-"

"Not at all," chuckled Bela. "Besides, it would be great if I had some help to look for Jewel."

Xavier basically hopped with joy and jogged over to Bela's side. He looked up at her with puppy eyes as she warmly smiled at him.

"Xavier, right?"

Xavier nodded dumbly. Bela slowly faced Blu and smiled.

"Alright. We'll go join Jewel in Rio. Look at for a Scarlet Macaw with a blue chick. I think my friend said her mate's name was Alex."

"Okay," said Blu.

"C'mon, Xavier."

Bela took to the skies and headed towards Rio. Xavier quickly followed her like a love-sick puppy. Blu and Rafael just watch them leave, and after they were gone from their sight, Rafael turned at his blue friend.

"Looks like you know his weakness."

Blu slightly grinned.

"We should get going too. With Bela's information, we know Flor is not alone and know what to look for."

With that, Blu and Rafael took to the blue sky and continued to scout for Flor.

* * *

Jewel's blue eyes slowly opened. Her blurry vision slowly turned clear as her eyes focused. From the table she lied on, the first thing she noticed was that she was in an abandoned building. It looked like an old airplane warehouse that was meant for personal use. Much of the room was empty except for the bolted-down, tall cabinets and large work stations near the faded green walls. The walls were only eight feet tall. Attached to the tops of the walls was a single row of medium-sized rectangular window panels that allowed light to go through. The roof was basically a metallic half-cylinder which seemed to have oxidized in some parts. All it needed were vines to make it look like it was abandoned centuries ago, like those ancient temples.

Jewel got to her feet and moved forward. She did not get far and bonked her head against a wall. At first, she was confused as why there was an invisible wall and baffled how it could be possible. She extended her wings out and soon felt the invisible wall. She then looked at the top and then noticed the difference. At first, she thought her eyes were still adjusting themselves, but she noticed tiny spots that seemed clearer than the rest of the things she saw. It was as if everything else was being seen through a smudged window, except for these small holes. She pushed against the top, realizing it was some type of material, but she could not.

"You're trapped."

The voice sent chills down her spine as she slowly turned completely around. There she saw a figure clothed in a black robe and was much taller than her. She could not see much else of this mysterious bird.

"You and your boyfriend have been very naughty birds."

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who we are. It means nothing for a dead bird as yourself."

Jewel's eyes widened as she started to breathe heavily.

"Dead?"

"Those who kill one of our members must suffer the same fate as them."

"But my mate or I didn't kill anyone."

"You are so naive. Remember Delores, the eagle that tried to eat you?"

Jewel took a moment to think.

"But we didn't kill her. The bird who killed her sacrificed his life to protect us."

"But as they say, those who didn't murder but were there at the scene are just as guilty as the murderer. Besides, you and your mate, as you call him, are a threat to the Order."

"... What are you talking about? Are you insane?"

"Those who don't know the truth are doomed to walk alone, a slave to this world. However, those against the truth deserve death."

Jewel flinched at the sound of his words. She took two steps back and started breathing heavily. She fell to her knees and started to weep.

"Enjoy your last hours in that cage."


End file.
